Namwon-si Selected for 'Regional Characteristics Enhancement Project' Led by Ministry of the Interior and Safety

Namwon City in Jeonbuk announced on the 17th that it has been finally selected for the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s ‘Project to Revitalize Regional Characteristics.’

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety selected a total of 27 local governments through the final round of the ‘Project to Revitalize Regional Characteristics,’ which was promoted to enhance regional economic vitality by leveraging the unique features of each region.

This year, 169 local governments applied for the project, and a panel of judges composed of private experts and central government officials conducted practical reviews, document evaluations, and on-site inspections. The project was carried out and selected in five areas: revitalizing small village economies, local design utilizing regional characteristics, activation of job support centers, creation of convenience facilities around traditional markets, and customized alley economy revitalization.

Namwon City was finally selected for the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's 'Regional Characteristics Revitalization Project.'
[Photo by Namwon City]

Among the five project areas, Namwon City was selected in the ‘Revitalizing Small Village Economies’ category, which aims to boost the vitality of small villages through remodeling of idle facilities, along with Sejong, Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi, Goesan in Chungbuk, Jeongseon in Gangwon, Goheung in Jeonnam, and Gochang in Gyeongnam. A budget of 400 million KRW, including special grants and local funds, will be provided over three years.

The city has been considering remodeling the abandoned Nonghyup warehouse at the village entrance to improve the village’s landscape and residential environment, along with establishing sales facilities for high-quality fermented products in collaboration with the village enterprise, Haju Village Agricultural Cooperative Corporation.

As a solution to these concerns, the project ‘Youth Again Project’ to create a fermentation-themed village cafe that will breathe new life into residents’ lives was submitted to this public contest.

With the selection of the project, over the next three years, the Haju Village Agricultural Cooperative Corporation, a village enterprise in Namwon City, will take the lead in remodeling the idle Nonghyup warehouse to create a cafe and garden space, as well as operate workforce training and programs.

The Jucheon Haju Village Agricultural Cooperative Corporation was designated as a new village enterprise this year and operates as a village enterprise that runs fermented bread and fermented rice cake production and experience programs utilizing the village’s agricultural products and the know-how of the village elders.

Additionally, as a village that has been continuously and successfully operating community projects such as local industry villages, longevity villages, rural experience and recreation villages, and farmstay villages, this public contest is expected to transform the elderly residents into a youthful and vibrant village once again.

Mayor Choi Kyung-sik said, “To overcome the crisis of local extinction and revitalize the region, it is important to leverage the unique characteristics of the area,” adding, “We will continue to actively consider discovering such village resources and strive for projects that revitalize Namwon’s unique regional characteristics.”

Namwon = Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Jeong Young-gwon baekok@asiae.co.kr

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