Simmin, Imsil County Governor, Accelerates Realization of the 10 Million Tourism Imsil Era

Published 02 Jan.2024 17:15(KST)

Imsil-gun, Jeonbuk Province, pledged to make the Year of the Blue Dragon a soaring year that opens a new future for the tourism industry and realizes the era of ten million tourists in Imsil in the new year of Gapjin.

On the 2nd, County Governor Sim Min held a kick-off ceremony marking the new start of Imsil county administration in 2024, beginning with a visit to Sochungsa Shrine along with newly appointed Deputy County Governor Seol Sang-hee and heads of departments and offices. He said, “As Imsil-gun in Jeonbuk Special Autonomous Province embarks on a new start, let us all move forward vigorously toward a new bright future together.”

Simmin, Imsil County Governor, Accelerates Realization of the 10 Million Tourism Imsil Era

The kick-off ceremony was held in the Cultural Lecture Room of the county office, attended by more than 300 people including heads of departments and offices at the main office, heads of 12 towns and townships, and staff.

Governor Sim said, “Receiving the energy of the Blue Dragon, which symbolizes wisdom, strength, and prosperity, I pray that all your wishes come true with blessings and that our county will also make a greater leap forward this year.”

He added, “We will build a premium tourism belt linking regional specialized resources such as Okjeongho Lake, Imsil Cheese Theme Park, Seongsusan Mountain, and Saseondae.”

To this end, he presented implementation plans including ▲ expanding stay-type tourism infrastructure such as building a hotel at Okjeongho and the Econuri Campus ▲ attracting large-scale private investment for cable car and zipline tourism and leisure facilities ▲ constructing a specialized beef restaurant and local food direct sales store in the Woonam specialized complex.

Also, the Imsil Cheese Theme Park, which was named Korea’s Tourism Star in 2023, plans to create a European-style rose garden and hold a cheese festival with roses in spring, making it a year-round festival-themed tourist destination. The Cheese Experience Tourism Landmark at the Jihyeokhwan Memorial Hall of Imsil Cheese was also highlighted.

Key projects also include the creation of the World Famous Dog Theme Land with a total investment of 18 billion KRW including 9 billion KRW of national funds, transforming Seongsusan into an experiential forest recreation spot, and establishing a caf?-style sales outlet at Gwanchon Saseondae.

In agriculture, plans include promoting a region-specific visa program for foreign seasonal workers, constructing the Agricultural Technology Center building and Microbial Cultivation Center, strengthening the competitiveness of Imsil Cheese through low-fat raw milk, and expanding sales channels such as school meals for dairy products within the county.

Customized economic policies include creating a specialized shopping district in Imsil Market, operating essential stores at the Osu Market site and building additional apartments, and creating jobs in the Osu 2nd and 3rd agricultural and industrial complexes. For improving residential conditions, plans include building a complex center on the site of the old Jeil Theater, constructing public rental housing in Osu and Gwanchon-myeon, building apartments for the 35th Division, and having KTX trains stop at Imsil Station.

Furthermore, efforts will be made to expand social welfare safety nets for the elderly and vulnerable groups, support multicultural families, enlarge the Bandabi sports facility, expand job opportunities for seniors, and strengthen customized welfare and safety measures such as flood and disaster prevention in Imsil and Osu living areas, and the expansion construction of National Road No. 30 Imsil Ido District.

Governor Sim Min said, “This year has so many tasks and is very important for the development of county administration. I will focus solely on the residents and do my best with a dynamic and progressive attitude for the happiness of the residents.”