Naju-si Establishes 'Yeongsanpo History and Culture Experience Center'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong] Naju City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Kang In-gyu) announced on the 15th that it will transform the old Yeongsanpo Station building (site area 741㎡) in Yeonggang-dong, which was closed due to the Honam Line double-tracking construction, into the 'Yeongsanpo Station Cultural Experience Center.'

The experience center will have a total floor area of 978.75㎡ and be three stories tall. A total project cost of 2.9 billion KRW (50% each from provincial and city funds) will be invested, with detailed design scheduled for this year and construction set to begin in January next year.

The project focuses on restoring Yeongsanpo Station to its appearance when newly built in 1969 and will include a station and train experience center, a comprehensive exhibition hall, an event hall, a cultural center, and observation facilities.

The experience center will serve as a nostalgic space where visitors can feel the old Yeongsanpo Station atmosphere and is expected to contribute to revitalizing tourism in the Yeongsanpo area along with the already established railway park and nearby tourist resources.

Yeongsanpo Station began operations as a regular station in 1913, was destroyed during the Korean War, and was rebuilt in 1969, gaining fame as a transportation and logistics hub in the Honam region.

In July 2001, following the completion of the Honam Line double-track electrification project and track relocation, it was integrated with Naju Station and left as a closed station. Since then, through two tourism resource development projects in 2004 and last year, it has been utilized as the current Yeongsanpo Railway Park.

Earlier, supported by last year's selection for the balanced regional development project in the culture, sports, and tourism sector, the city invested 1.6 billion KRW (1 billion from balanced development funds and 600 million from city funds) to complete the installation of tourist facilities within the park.

A 600m section of rail bike (3 units) using the abandoned railway, a symbolic gate, an outdoor performance hall, photo zones, and flower gardens have been created to welcome tourists.

The rail bike operates from Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., in compliance with COVID-19 prevention guidelines.

Mayor Kang In-gyu said, “Along with the newly renovated railway park, we will do our best to ensure that the Yeongsanpo Station Cultural Experience Center, scheduled to begin construction next year, contributes to revitalizing the local economy through supporting cultural and leisure activities for residents and discovering tourism content.”