Jeonnam Coastal Area Market and County Governors Association Supports Korea Islands Promotion Agency's 'Mokpo Establishment'

Published 30 Mar.2021 13:44(KST)

Updated 18 Aug.2025 17:43(KST)

'“Mokpo is the Gateway to Islands” Support Statement Announced by 16 Local Governments'

Jeonnam Coastal Fishing Market Mayors and County Governors Association, Declaration of Support for Mokpo by the Korea Islands Promotion Agency.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seung-hyun Jeong] The Jeonnam Coastal Village Market and County Governors Council (Chairman Woo-cheol Shin, Wando County Governor; hereinafter referred to as the Council), composed of 16 local governments in Jeollanam-do including Mokpo, Yeosu, Suncheon, and Gwangyang, has issued a statement supporting the hosting of the Korea Island Promotion Agency (hereinafter referred to as the Island Promotion Agency) in Mokpo.

Through the statement, these local governments declared, “We support the Island Promotion Agency being hosted in Jeonnam, which has the most islands in South Korea, to align with the agency’s establishment purpose and enhance its efficiency, and that it should be established in Mokpo, the gateway to the Dadohae (Korean Archipelago), based on three reasons.”

Examining the three reasons: ▲ Jeonnam has the most islands nationwide, and among the 23 national islands designated as territorial sea baselines, 10 are located here, which are important for national security and maritime territory management ▲ Jeonnam was the first to recognize the importance of islands, which no other region had paid attention to, and established the legal basis for the agency’s establishment ▲ Jeonnam is underdeveloped, with 215 out of 371 development target islands nationwide (59%) designated by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and Mokpo in Jeonnam has the optimal location and conditions to lead the development of islands in South Korea and to share and spread its effects nationwide.

They continued, “We emphasize that islands are no longer symbols of isolation and loneliness but precious living spaces for the people and potential future growth engines. We unanimously assert that establishing the Island Promotion Agency in prepared Mokpo, Jeonnam, with its geographical and historical advantages, is the most rational and fair decision for the development of South Korea’s islands and balanced national development.”

Mokpo Mayor Jong-sik Kim expressed, “I thank the mayors and county governors of the Jeonnam Coastal Village Market and County Governors Council who issued the support statement. Mokpo, the capital of islands, is the gateway to the Dadohae and a junction connecting the sea and inland, making it the optimal site for establishing the Island Promotion Agency. We will cooperate and strive further to ensure that the heartfelt wish of Jeonnam residents is realized by attracting the Island Promotion Agency to Mokpo.”

Earlier, on the 26th, local governments in the southwestern island belt of Jeonnam, including Jeollanam-do, Mokpo City, Wando County, Jindo County, and Sinan County, announced the “Joint Proposal for the Establishment of the Island Promotion Agency in Mokpo City” on the 25th, spreading a supportive atmosphere for hosting in Mokpo throughout Jeonnam.