Minister Hwang Hee of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Visits Haenam-gun Tourism Development Project Site
(Center) Hwang Hee, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, visited the Osiano Tourist Complex in Hwawon-myeon, Haenam-gun, and the Solar City corporate city in Guseong District, Sanim-myeon.
[Haenam＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] The pace of large-scale projects in Haenam County, which will bring revolutionary changes to tourism in the southwestern region, is accelerating.
According to Haenam County on the 23rd, on the 18th, Hwang Hee, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, visited the Osiano Tourist Complex in Hwawon-myeon and the Solar City corporate city in Guseong District, Sanim-myeon, Haenam County to conduct an on-site inspection of local tourism development projects and listen to local government opinions.
Governor Kim Young-rok of Jeollanam-do, Haenam County Mayor Myeong Hyeon-gwan, and Chairman Kim Byung-deok of Haenam County Council accompanied the visit, reporting on the progress of the projects and conducting on-site inspections of key facilities.
The Osiano Tourist Complex located in Hwawon-myeon, Haenam County, is known as the "Pebble Beach of Korea" for its outstanding beach scenery and boasts tourism resources such as golf courses and campgrounds.
Aiming to establish a southwestern sea hub tourist complex, the area was designated as a tourist complex of approximately 5,073,000㎡ in 1992. By 2012, the golf course, roads within the complex, and land development were completed, but except for the golf course, activation was delayed due to slow progress in attracting private investment.
In particular, after persistent efforts last year, national budget funding was secured for the installation of a sewage treatment plant for the first time in over 30 years, and the public sewage treatment facility project, which had been an obstacle to private investment, is now being actively promoted, signaling a green light for revitalization. The public sewage treatment facility is currently conducting basic surveys and design for the sewage treatment plant, aiming to start construction next year.
Additionally, the Korea Tourism Organization plans to establish the Osiano Resort Hotel by next year, featuring 120 rooms, an infinity pool, banquet halls, an observation caf?, restaurants, and a kids' pool, attracting attention as an attractive accommodation facility linked to the beautiful beach scenery.
The Yeongam-Haenam tourism leisure-type corporate city development project is also accelerating as part of Jeollanam-do's Blue Economy initiative, developing a Jeonnam-style smart blue city.
This project develops a self-sufficient city with jobs, tourism, housing, education, and medical functions on 6.32 million pyeong (approximately 20.9 million㎡) in the Guseong District of Sanim-myeon, Haenam County. By the end of last year, the first phase was completed with the establishment of a 98MW renewable energy industrial complex centered on the Solar City photovoltaic power plant. The 18-hole Solar City CC golf course is scheduled to open on the 27th.
This area is promoting the creation of an RE100 exclusive pilot complex that supplies 100% renewable energy for the entire industrial complex, as well as the development of the 160,000-pyeong San-i Garden, a complex cultural space.
The construction of a four-lane corporate city access road connecting Daejin-ri in Sanim-myeon to Samho-eup in Yeongam County is also expected to be completed by the end of this year.
The Solar City corporate city has four major urban visions: garden city, RE100 city, untact city, and autonomous vehicle city, aiming to create an energy-centered smart city supplied with 100% renewable energy necessary for the city.
During the site visit, Jeonnam Province also proposed expanding the development zone by about 520,000 pyeong, including the Budong-ri area, in addition to the existing project site.
The activation of tourism in the western region of Haenam is further anticipated as the road construction connecting Haenam Hwawon to Sinan Amhae, the last unconnected section of National Highway 77, is being actively promoted.
Once the total length of 13.49 km, including the 2.73 km undersea tunnel from Haenam Hwawon to Mokpo Dallido, is connected, it is expected to boost tourism activation by linking with the West Coast Expressway and Muan International Airport high-speed railway.
In particular, Haenam County is promoting the construction of coastal roads between Mokpo Gudeung Lighthouse and Yanghwa, and between Hwawon Husan and Jangsu. Starting from Maewol-ri in Hwawon, infrastructure will be established connecting about 23 km of coastal roads to Mokpo Gudeung Lighthouse, Jangsu-ri, and the Osiano Tourist Complex.
This section boasts beautiful beach scenery so remarkable that it is called the jewel of the southwestern sea, and it is expected to become a representative scenic coastal road of the southwestern region. The National Highway 77 connecting road is scheduled to begin construction in September and aims for completion in 2027.
Next month, the adjacent Haenam Usuyeong Skywalk and marine cable car are scheduled to open, making the southwestern region of Jeonnam, including Haenam Osiano Tourist Complex, Solar City corporate city, Usuyeong Uldolmok, Mokpo New Port, West Coast Expressway, and marine tourist sites in Wando and Sinan, a core axis of the southern sea tourism belt.
Minister Hwang Hee expressed great interest in the project progress, stating, "We will spare no support, including infrastructure construction, so that Hwawon Osiano Tourist Complex and Solar City corporate city can fully serve as hubs for tourism in the southwestern region of Jeollanam-do."
Mayor Myeong Hyeon-gwan said, "Haenam, the jewel of the southwestern sea, has experienced a stagnation period in industrial development despite numerous possibilities due to its location at the land's end. We will not miss this critical time to envision Haenam's future development by actively supporting the success of various nationally promoted projects through public-private cooperation and thorough preparation."
Haenam＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun kh0424@asiae.co.kr
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