Jeonnam Governor Kim Young-rok Reviews On-site Efforts to Revitalize Gurye Tourism

Visit to Cheoneunsa and Ssangsanjae

[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeollanam-do, visited Gurye Cheoneunsa Temple, where the entrance fee was abolished and the trails were renovated on the 6th, followed by Ssangsanjae, a hot place for garden tourism, to check the status of tourism revitalization.

According to Jeollanam-do on the 7th, Gurye Cheoneunsa Temple completed the establishment of an operational base and trail maintenance project as a follow-up measure after opening the mountain gate in 2019, and held a completion ceremony on this day.

The completion ceremony was attended by about 50 people from eight organizations involved in the entrance fee abolition agreement for Cheoneunsa, including Governor Kim Young-rok, National Assembly member Seo Dong-yong, Gurye County Governor Kim Soon-ho, the Ministry of Environment, Cultural Heritage Administration, Korea National Park Service, Jeonnam Regional Headquarters of Korea Rural Community Corporation, the head monk of Hwaeomsa Temple, and the head monk of Cheoneunsa Temple.

In the Cheoneunsa operational base establishment project, Jeollanam-do and Gurye County remodeled the tea house and rest area, while the Ministry of Environment supported the creation of a waterside deck path and forest trail around Cheoneuje.

The Cultural Heritage Administration supported the cultural heritage restoration project, decorating it to harmonize with the beautiful scenery of Jirisan Mountain.

Despite the overall decline in tourists due to COVID-19, 450,000 people visited Cheoneunsa last year following the abolition of the entrance fee, improving its negative image.

Governor Kim Young-rok said, “This completion ceremony marks the starting point of a new coexistence with the local community,” and added, “I hope it will become the center of tourism in the Jirisan area in the future.”

Cheoneunsa signed an entrance fee abolition agreement with eight organizations including the Ministry of Environment, Cultural Heritage Administration, Jeollanam-do, and Gurye County in April 2019, becoming a model of coexistence and cooperation in the local community.

Governor Kim then visited Ssangsanjae, Jeollanam-do’s 5th private garden.

Jeollanam-do announced last month the ‘Jeonnam Garden Network’ plan, linking gardens and arboretums scattered throughout the province, centered on Suncheonman National Garden in the eastern region, Wando National Subtropical Arboretum in the southwestern region, and Damyang National Korean Garden Culture Center in the northern region, to allow residents to experience garden culture.

Ssangsanjae is one of the places that has been rediscovered and supported by Gurye County, turning a beautiful space created and cultivated by an individual into a hot spot for garden tourism in Jeonnam. It reflects the wisdom of ancestors who brought nature into their homes to live in harmony and conformity with it.

For this reason, since its registration as a private garden in Jeonnam in October 2018, it has attracted many tourists every year.

28,000 visitors in 2018, 30,000 in 2019, and despite the COVID-19 situation and closure from September to December last year due to the filming of tvN’s ‘Youn’s Stay,’ 36,000 people visited.

‘Ssangsan’ was named after the pen name Ssangsan of Oh Kyung-young, the great-grandfather of the operator, Mr. Oh from Haeju. It is known to have been named with the hope that the two families would remain close forever after a close village resident moved away, and to live a life of virtue in the world like two mountains.

There are 14 distinctive private gardens and 3 private arboretums created and maintained by individuals. The province plans to establish a foundation for mutual development through linked tourism tours, experience programs, and joint promotion by discovering content.

Governor Kim said, “Since the beginning of my term, I have worked to plant large trees everywhere in daily life and expand gardens, and as a result, visible achievements like Ssangsanjae are appearing one by one,” adding, “We will continue to expand gardens to enrich the lives of residents and contribute to income improvement and regional development.”