Final Report Meeting on Ulsan's Top 10 Geological Sites and National Geopark Certification Plan

‘Journey Through the Cretaceous Along the Taehwagang River’ Theme

8-Month Research Project by Busan National University Industry-Academic Cooperation Team

25 Participants Including Geology Experts, Residents, and Civic Groups

The project to designate 10 major geological sites in Ulsan as a National Geopark is entering its final stage.

On the 24th at 2:30 PM, Ulsan City will hold the final report meeting for the "Establishment of a Basic Plan for Ulsan National Geopark Certification" research project in the international conference room on the 4th floor of the main building.

At the final report meeting, 25 stakeholders including Hong Byeong-ik, Director of the Environment Bureau, related departments, geology and geomorphology experts, Ulsan Research Institute, resident representatives, civic groups, and the Ulsan Corporate Social Responsibility Council will attend. The meeting will proceed with a presentation of the research results by the principal researcher followed by a Q&A session.

The research project has been underway from December last year to August this year, led by the Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation of Pusan National University (principal researcher Lim Hyun-soo).

In the presentation of the research results, principal researcher Lim Hyun-soo will present findings including the park boundary setting proposed at the interim report meeting on April 25, training of geopark guides, establishment of operational guidelines, and plans to revitalize the local economy through linkage with other tourist resources and increasing income for local residents.

The theme of the Ulsan National Geopark has been set as "A Journey to the Cretaceous Period along the Taehwa River Stream," and 10 candidate geological sites have been selected.

The 10 geological sites are ▲ Cheonjeon-ri Dinosaur Footprint Fossil Site ▲ Daegok-ri Footprint Fossil Site ▲ Guksucheon Fold ▲ Seonbawi ▲ Jujeon Mammalian Rock ▲ Daewangam Coast ▲ Ganwoljae ▲ Jakgwaecheon ▲ Jeongjoksan Mujechi Wetland ▲ and Ganjeolgot Wave-Cut Platform.

The scope of the Ulsan National Geopark is set to cover Ulju-gun and Dong-gu areas, avoiding densely populated regions and allowing linkage with other tourist resources, with a direction to expand the sites through operation.

Additionally, directions are provided regarding ordinances, protection charters, codes of conduct necessary for the creation and management of the geopark, as well as hiring geological experts and forming and operating resident councils, which are essential conditions for certification.

Furthermore, plans for training geopark guides who can promote and provide hands-on experiences at the geopark site, as well as educational programs tailored by age and social class, are also proposed.

After the basic plan project, Ulsan City plans to apply for certification of the candidate sites in 2024 following preparatory processes such as academic forums for national geopark certification, academic research, and local resident participation projects.

An official from Ulsan City stated, "We will actively reflect the opinions presented at the final report meeting and make efforts to obtain certification as a National Geopark."

Currently, there are 15 National Geoparks and 5 Global Geoparks in South Korea.

Daewangam-gil, Dong-gu, Ulsan City.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.