Preparation for Establishing Plans to Develop and Preserve Tourism Resources Linked to Byeongyeong Urban Regeneration Project and Byeongyeongseong Fortress
Lee Seung-ok, the mayor of Gangjin County, and staff are taking a photo to commemorate the registration of the Yeonbangjuk Ecological Circulation Road as a World Irrigation Facility Heritage. Photo by Asia Economy
[Gangjin＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-su] On the 26th, Gangjin-gun, Jeollanam-do received the World Irrigation Facility Heritage certificate and plaque at the 72nd International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) World Congress held in Marrakech, Morocco.
According to the county on the 30th, the ICID World Irrigation Facility Heritage registration system was established in 2012 to designate, preserve, maintain, and promote irrigation facilities that have historical, technical, and social value.
The conditions for registration as a World Irrigation Facility Heritage include irrigation facilities with a history of over 100 years and those that present milestones and turning points in the development of irrigated agriculture.
Among Korea's agricultural heritages, following Gimje Byeokgolje and Suwon Chukmanje (2016), Dangjin Hapdeokje and Suwon Manseokgeo (2017), and Goseong Dumbreung (2020), this is the first registration in Jeollanam-do.
The visiting delegation who participated in the award ceremony attended official events of the ICID World Congress such as the welcome reception, opening ceremony, and certificate awarding ceremony, and visited the Morocco Water Civilization Museum, the Atlas Mountains, Menara Garden, and Argan Cooperative to establish efficient conservation and management plans for the ecological circulation canal agricultural system.
The Morocco Water Civilization Museum, opened in 2018, exhibits and provides information on the history of water, desert water storage and utilization methods, and irrigation canal systems.
Also, the Atlas Mountains serve as a water source region in southern Morocco, collecting an average annual rainfall of 1500 mm using dams, supplying tap water and agricultural water for crops such as olives across Morocco. It plays a key role in Moroccan irrigated agriculture, similar to Suinsan, the water source of the Gangjin Yeonbangjuk ecological circulation canal agricultural system.
The Menara Palace, built about 700 years ago, channels water from the Atlas Mountains through a 30 km canal into a lake to store water and cultivate 3,000 olive trees.
In particular, the delegation frequently held local workshops and meetings with the Korea Rural Community Corporation Rural Research Institute, the Korea Drainage Committee, and Myungso IMC, a domestic professional service company related to agricultural heritage, to discuss directions for agricultural heritage development.
Professor Choi Jin-yong of Seoul National University, Vice President of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), said at the meeting, “The commission should communicate more closely with agricultural sites, gather opinions, and establish an organic cooperation system with academia and related organizations to conduct precise investigations of Yeonbangjuk and canals and prepare agricultural heritage conservation and management plans that benefit farmers.”
County Governor Lee Seung-ok said, “Taking advantage of the World Irrigation Facility Heritage registration, we will develop tourism resources linked with the Byeongyeong-myeon urban regeneration project and the Dwaeji Bulgogi Street, establish a comprehensive conservation plan including cultural heritage sites such as Byeongyeongseong Fortress, and manage them systematically so that their value is preserved and shines for future generations.”
Gangjin=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-su kys86120@asiae.co.kr
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