Connecting Namdo Tourism by Rail: Ministry of Culture, Five Local Governments, and Korail Join Forces

Signing of MOU to Activate the 'Namdo Railway Trail'
1.415 Billion Won to Be Invested in Southern Region Tourism Development This Year

The central government, five local governments in the southern region, and Korail are joining forces to connect the southern provinces through the railway network. This initiative aims to disperse tourism demand, which is currently concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area, toward the southern region, and to promote longer-stay tourism that encourages visitors to spend an extra day in the area.

Tourist train 'Jeongseon Arirang Train'. Korail

On May 14, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that it will sign a business agreement in Jinju with the metropolitan cities of Busan, Gwangju, and Ulsan, as well as Jeollanam-do, Gyeongsangnam-do, and Korea Railroad Corporation to promote the 'Namdo Railway Trail' project.

Under this agreement, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will be responsible for expert consulting and coordinating interests among participating institutions. The five local governments will focus on developing tourism resources linked to their regions, revitalizing tourism based on public transportation such as railways, expanding tourism exchanges among regions, and jointly promoting tourism resources. Korail will cooperate by securing seats and providing fare discounts.

To efficiently advance tourism development in the southern region, the five local governments will also operate a 'Southern Region Wide-Area Tourism Council.' Strategic projects tailored to each area's characteristics will be pursued individually, while joint projects such as developing wide-area tourism routes in the southern region will be carried out collaboratively. Responsible local governments will be designated for each project, and progress will be reviewed on a quarterly basis.

To create an environment where visitors stay an extra day in the southern region, the ministry is investing a budget of 141.5 billion won this year. The southwestern region will be supported as a culture and arts-focused tourist area, the south-central region will feature wellness-themed tourism initiatives, and the southeastern region will focus on marine culture and leisure tourism projects.

In April, the five local governments and Korail collaborated to launch four two-day, one-night travel packages that depart from Busan, Mokpo, and Gwangju, touring major tourist destinations in the southern region such as Haenam, Jangheung, Jinju, and Hadong. These programs offer discounts of up to 35 percent.

Kang Dongjin, Director of Tourism Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, "The signing of this business agreement and the operation of the council are designed to promote tourism development in the southern region in a more detailed and systematic manner. We will continue to support efforts to connect railways and local tourism resources nationwide, so that tourism demand concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area can expand to areas with declining populations and beyond."

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