Mokpo City Leading Trends Ahead to Drive Transformation into a Tourist City

Published 26 Apr.2022 17:33(KST)

Updated 16 Aug.2025 16:14(KST)

Inviting Experts to Recognize the Importance of Regional Development Festivals and Nighttime Economy Tourism

Mokpo City studies by inviting experts to transform into a tourist city. Photo by Mokpo City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seung-hyun Jeong] On the 26th, Mokpo City in Jeollanam-do announced that it is strengthening its capabilities to proactively respond to the diversifying tourism trends.

On the 22nd, the city invited Professor Kang-hwan Jeong of Paejae University, who has gained worldwide fame to the extent of being listed in one of the world's top three biographical dictionaries for the first time in Korea in the festival field, to give a lecture titled "Understanding Regional Development-Type Festivals and New Night-Time Economy Tourism" attended by about 100 team leaders.

Professor Jeong mentioned globally recognized software industries (arts, history, festivals, etc.) such as Squid Game and BTS, emphasizing the importance of promoting global exchanges of local festivals and high-intensity deviant festivals.

He also cited the international exchanges of the Boryeong Mud Festival and Spain's Tomato Festival, and the success of the McAllen Christmas Parade in Texas, USA, as fruits of the globalization of the Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival, urging, "Let's develop the Mokpo Port Festival and the World Madang Festival into international regional development-type festivals."

Furthermore, he presented the global trend of the Night-Time Economy by citing examples such as the designation of night-time economic tourism zones (UK), night-time economy and night-time tourism declarations (China), and night-type festivals like Vivid Sydney (Australia), strongly emphasizing the need for policies for night life and models for night tourism.

A city official stated, "In the rapidly changing domestic and international environment, we will fiercely seek ways to develop new tourism products that go beyond benchmarking."