The West South Coast World Island Forum Held Under the Theme "AI Era and the Future of Islands"

Future Vision and Sustainable Development Strategies for Islands in the AI Era

Hope for Joint Hosting of the 2028 World Island Expo

Mokpo City, Wando County, Jindo County, and Sinan County, four cities and counties in the southwestern coastal island belt of Jeollanam-do, successfully held a cooperative event to explore future development plans for island regions.

According to Mokpo City on the 22nd, the ‘4th Southwestern Coastal World Island Forum,’ hosted by the four cities and counties of the southwestern coast and organized by the 2028 World Island Expo Hosting Promotion Committee (Chairman Lee Han-cheol), was held on the 21st at the Ramada Hotel in Jaeun, Sinan County.

The forum was attended by over 200 people, including the mayors and county heads of the four cities and counties, city and county council chairs, and local residents, and was conducted simultaneously online and on-site with a live broadcast on YouTube.

Mokpo Mayor Park Hong-ryul is delivering a greeting at the 4th Southwest Coast World Island Forum.
[Photo by Seo Young-seo]

Starting from its first session in 2020, this fourth forum was themed ‘The AI Era and the Future of Islands,’ consisting of expert lectures and discussions. It focused on exploring island policies changing around artificial intelligence, future visions, and concrete development plans.

The keynote speeches were delivered by Lee Sang-eun, CEO of Digital Media Network (Eco+ Island Connected to the World), and Shin Ho-cheol, Head of the Island Promotion Project Group at the Korea Island Foundation (The New Future of Islands Created by Digital Convergence).

Additionally, the panel discussion included Lee Seung-kwon, Senior Vice President of the Korean Island Studies Association; Noh Pyung-woo, Chairman of the Korea Marine Culture Tourism Industry Research Institute; Park Sung-hyun, Professor at Mokpo National University’s Island Culture Research Institute; Kim Jae-ho, Associate Researcher at the Korea Island Promotion Agency; and Lee Sang-hoon, Director of Dispatch News Group, who discussed ways to revitalize the regional economy of island areas.

Meanwhile, the southwestern coastal island belt region (Mokpo City, Wando County, Jindo County, Sinan County) signed a business agreement in 2020 to jointly host the ‘2028 World Island Expo’ and have united efforts for island-based regional development, including revitalizing island tourism and strengthening joint marketing.

Before the discussion at the 4th Southwest Coast World Island Forum, a group photo was taken with the promotion committee members from four cities and counties of the Southwest Coast.
[Photo by Mokpo City]

Lee Han-cheol, Chairman of the Hosting Promotion Committee and President of the Mokpo Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, “Our four cities and counties in the island belt hold 42% of the nation’s islands. Accordingly, we will listen closely to the voices of local residents to establish island policies that provide practical help to them and will continuously cooperate with local governments to attract the Expo.”

Mayor Park Hong-ryul expressed his determination, saying, “The southwestern coastal islands, with excellent marine ecological resources and great development potential, are the driving force for our region’s future growth. By actively utilizing these resources, we will improve living conditions in island areas and promote balanced regional development by hosting the 2028 World Island Expo, proving that our Mokpo is truly the ‘Island Capital of Korea.’”

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