Hongcheon County Outlines Blueprint for Rural Spatial Regeneration Over the Next Decade

Draft of Basic Plan for Rural Spatial Restructuring Established
Plan Shared at Resident Committee Preliminary Briefing on May 20
Hongcheon-Style Rural Model Integrating Residential Life, Industry, Tourism, and Ecology
Future Strategy for Rural Spaces Set Through 2035

Hongcheon County in Gangwon Province announced on May 20 that it is formulating the “Basic Plan for Rural Spatial Restructuring and Regeneration in Hongcheon County” to improve the living conditions of rural areas and establish a foundation for sustainable rural development tailored to the region's characteristics.

Hongcheon County Draws Blueprint for 'Rural Space Regeneration' Over the Next 10 Years. Photo by Hongcheon County

This draft basic plan is a mid- to long-term strategy that covers the entire county (one town and nine townships) and sets out the direction for rural space management and regeneration over a 10-year period from 2026 to 2035.

Hongcheon County is comprehensively reviewing access to living services, residential environment, industrial infrastructure, tourism resources, and the ecological environment in rural areas to establish development strategies tailored to the characteristics of each region.

In particular, the plan reflects changes in transportation conditions such as the opening of the east-west metropolitan high-speed railway, shifts in the rural population structure, imbalances in access to living services, and the need to revitalize rural tourism and the sixth industrialization.

The most notable aspect is the introduction of the “Hongcheon-Style Multi-Complex Zone Model,” which leverages the geographic and cultural characteristics of each town and township as key strengths.

According to the plan, Seomyeon and Nammyeon are designated as "waterfront tourism, leisure, and sports zones"; Hongcheon-eup, Bukbang-myeon, and Yeongguimi-myeon as "living, transportation, and industrial zones"; Hwacheon-myeon and Duchon-myeon as "rural experience and historical-cultural zones"; and Naechon-myeon, Seoseok-myeon, and Naemyeon as "mountain village stay and ecological zones," each with a distinct direction.

The plan also includes future strategies for Hongcheon’s rural spaces, such as improving the residential environment, enhancing access to living services, promoting rural experiences and tourism, linking region-specific resources, fostering the sixth industrialization, preserving the ecology, and enhancing village landscapes.

To enhance the completeness and feasibility of the plan, the county is collecting input from relevant departments and residents. On May 18, a completion report meeting was held in the county government’s administrative situation room, attended by the deputy governor, department heads, and division and office directors, where key strategies were shared through a presentation by Kang Junmo, Director of the Regional Revitalization Center Co., Ltd.

Following this, at 2:00 p.m. on May 20, a preliminary briefing session will be held at the Hongcheon Rural Culture Terminal for resident committee members of the Hongcheon County Basic Rural Space Policy Review Committee. At this session, Ji Inseop, team leader at the Regional Revitalization Center Co., Ltd., will explain the plan and collect feedback from the resident members through a Q&A session.

The county plans to improve understanding of the plan by listening to the resident committee members and to strengthen the foundation for resident participation in the process of implementing future rural spatial restructuring and regeneration policies.

An official from Hongcheon County stated, “This draft basic plan is an important process for systematically organizing the future direction of Hongcheon’s rural spaces and developing regional development strategies based on the characteristics of each area and the opinions of residents. We aim to create a Hongcheon-style rural space where residential life, industry, tourism, and ecology are harmoniously integrated.”

The official added, “We will steadily carry out the necessary procedures to create a livable and sustainable rural region based on a plan that both residents and relevant departments can support.”

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