Gyeongbuk Cheongsong-gun, Korea's Top Ecotourism City... Full-Scale Restoration Project of Ecosystem Downstream of Cheongsong Garden Begins

Ecotourism City Restoration Project.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Gwiyeol] The floodplain of Imha Dam’s Songgang district in Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongbuk, will be transformed into an ecological tourism space.

Korea Water Resources Corporation recently completed the detailed design for the Imha Dam Songgang ecosystem restoration project covering an area of 250,000㎡ around Songgang-ri, Pacheon-myeon, and has begun full-scale project implementation.

The “dam floodplain” is land intended to store water upstream when water levels rise due to heavy rainfall, but it is a riverbed area that is submerged only about seven days a year out of 365 days, making it land with high ecological value. Cheongsong-gun has been seeking ways to utilize the ecological value of the floodplain.

Yoon Kyung-hee, the mayor of Cheongsong-gun, said, “In consultation with the Water Resources Corporation, we have secured a budget of 1.8 billion KRW for this year’s ecological restoration project and will strive to secure the remaining project funds next year.”

This project aims to create a complex habitat for legally protected species with high conservation value such as the red-spotted apollo butterfly and mandarin duck, as well as potential short-term target species occupying mid- to lower-level ecological positions in the food chain, through analysis of species in the dam reservoir area.

Cheongsong-gun plans to welcome tourists by establishing an ecological learning center for easy access, healing trails, stepwise ecological wetlands according to dam water level changes, and biodiversity wetlands, linked with the ‘Oxygen Cafe Cheongsong Garden’ which opened last year.

Mayor Yoon said, “We will establish green restoration of the dam basin’s waterfront resources and a healthy ecological foundation in connection with the ‘Oxygen Cafe Cheongsong Garden,’ which opened last September and has welcomed over 100,000 visitors.”

He added, “Starting this year, we will set up a quarantine system suitable for the with-COVID-19 paradigm and provide various attractions such as performances and experiences to make Cheongsong Garden a landmark of Cheongsong-gun.”