Gwangyang-si, Acceleration Expected in Gubongsan Tourism Complex Development Project

Environmental Impact Assessment Main Consultation Completed

Tourism Complex Designation, Construction Scheduled to Start Next Year After Approval

Gwangyang City in Jeollanam-do announced on the 20th that it has completed consultations with the Yeongsangang River Basin Environmental Office regarding the designation and environmental impact assessment (final draft) of the ‘Gwangyang Gubongsan Tourist Complex,’ which will serve as the focal point of tourism in Gwangyang.

Accordingly, the ‘Gwangyang Gubongsan Tourist Complex Development Project,’ which has been in preparation since 2019, is expected to accelerate.

In March 2022, Gwangyang City and the project implementer (scheduled) LF Resort Co., Ltd. formed an environmental impact assessment council in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, submitted the draft environmental impact assessment report to the Yeongsangang River Basin Environmental Office in October of the same year, held a residents’ briefing session, and completed consultations in November.

In February of this year, a public hearing was held to gather opinions from citizens and environmental groups, and reflecting those results, the final environmental impact assessment report was submitted to the Yeongsangang River Basin Environmental Office in April. After one request for supplementation, the revised report was resubmitted in August, and consultations were finally completed on September 20.

Notably, consultations were completed without reducing major facilities introduced to the tourist complex, such as the golf course and accommodation facilities, and the consultation period was shortened, which is expected to further advance the permit approval timeline.

Having overcome the significant hurdle of the environmental impact assessment, the ‘Gwangyang Gubongsan Tourist Complex’ plans to promptly proceed with preliminary consultations for designation as a tourist complex, including on-site inspections by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in October.

Furthermore, after undergoing all related permit procedures such as the Central Mountainous Area Management Committee review, traffic impact assessment, disaster impact assessment review, Central Land Expropriation Committee review, and Jeollanam-do Urban Planning Committee review, final approval for the ‘Tourist Complex Designation and Development Plan’ will be granted by the Governor of Jeollanam-do.

All these permit procedures are planned to be completed by February to March 2024, with construction scheduled to begin next year.

Jung In-hwa, Mayor of Gwangyang City, stated, “The Gubongsan Tourist Complex, as the first comprehensive tourist and leisure complex to be developed in Gwangyang, is expected to resolve the region’s insufficient tourism infrastructure at once and lead our city’s tourism industry.”

He added, “We will integrate tourist facilities in the Gubongsan area, including the ‘Children’s Theme Park,’ the ‘POSCO experiential sculpture’ to be installed at the Gubongsan Observatory, the ‘Children’s Theme Park?Gubongsan Observatory cable car/monorail’ pledged in the 8th local government term, the ‘Alpine Slide,’ and the ‘Gubongsan?Bonghwasan world’s longest Golden Suspension Bridge 770,’ to create a comprehensive tourist destination attracting global attention.”

Meanwhile, the Gubongsan Tourist Complex Development Project is a regional cooperation project submitted by LF Resort Co., Ltd. to Gwangyang City in 2017 alongside the opening of Gwangyang LF Square. It is a large-scale tourist complex development project investing a total of 370 billion KRW on a 2,324,486㎡ site in the Hwanggeum-dong area of Gwangyang City.

The tourist complex to be developed on the slopes of Gubongsan will be a comprehensive tourist and leisure complex equipped with 230 accommodation rooms, a 27-hole golf course, and recreational cultural facilities. It aims to promote stay-type tourism by linking with nearby family-oriented children’s theme parks and specialized science museums, and is expected to play a pivotal role in revitalizing the local economy through job creation.

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