Yeosu City Signs Business Agreement with Jeonnam Province and GS Caltex to Create 'Forest of Art' on Jangdo Island

By 2023, 92,865㎡ will be developed with Art Plaza, Long Island Ocean View, and Saemteo Garden Forest

Kim Ki-tae, President of GS Caltex, Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeollanam-do, Kwon Oh-bong, Mayor of Yeosu, and Kim Hoe-jae, Member of the National Assembly (from left), are posing for a commemorative photo after signing the business agreement.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] Yeosu City (Mayor Kwon Oh-bong) has signed a business agreement with Jeollanam-do and GS Caltex to create the Ungcheon Jangdo Art Forest.

According to the city, on the 14th, at the Ungcheon Jangdo Multipurpose Exhibition Hall in Yeosu, the agreement was signed to develop Jangdo into an art forest where the islands, forests, and culture and arts of the southern region coexist, with the attendance of Jeonnam Governor Kim Young-rok, Yeosu Mayor Kwon Oh-bong, and GS Caltex President Kim Ki-tae.

The Jangdo Art Forest, with the concept of "an island healed by art," will be developed from 2021 to 2023 with a total budget of 5.2 billion KRW, including 2.6 billion KRW in national and provincial funds, covering 92,865㎡. It will feature an art plaza, a long island ocean view, and the Saemteo Garden Forest.

The plan is to create a space where visitors can experience special rest and healing in nature, harmonizing pristine forests and art.

The agreement includes a commitment by the three organizations to organically cooperate to realize the Blue Economy by utilizing clean blue resources such as the sea, sky, islands, and forests, aiming to create a premium forest representing the southern coast.

Following the business agreement ceremony, a commemorative tree planting and on-site inspection were also conducted.

Mayor Kwon Oh-bong of Yeosu said, "Through this agreement, by making the most of Jangdo's geographical characteristics and creating a beautiful art forest, it will become a cultural and artistic landmark of the southern coastal region. I hope this will be an opportunity to create a new future for Jangdo and the islands."

Meanwhile, the Art Island Jangdo, opened in May last year as part of GS Caltex's community contribution project, features stone retaining walls, ateliers, exhibition halls, and the Dadohae Garden, and has become a hidden gem in Yeosu visited by over 300,000 people to date.