Mokpo City, Strategic Administration to Attract Tourist Foot Traffic

Deployment of Quarantine and Management Personnel at Major Tourist Sites... Ongoing Hygiene Business Guidance and Cleanliness Activities

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Jeong Seunghyun] Mokpo City, Jeollanam-do is striving to become a tourist city ideal for outings.

According to the city on the 12th, with the easing of COVID-19 social distancing measures leading to an increase in tourists, from May to October, 46 quarantine and management personnel will be deployed at 18 major tourist sites including Modern History Museum 1 & 2, Dancing Sea Fountain, and Yudal Amusement Park to create a friendly and pleasant tourism environment.

Along with this, the city is strengthening guidance for hygiene establishments. To this end, illegal business practices such as rudeness, unfair charges, and reuse of leftover food will be regularly inspected, and special inspection teams will operate on Saturdays and Sundays to crack down on solicitation activities unexpectedly.

Furthermore, cleanliness will be enhanced at major tourist spots such as Peace Plaza and multi-use facilities including Mokpo Station and the bus terminal. For this purpose, on the 13th, public officials and social organizations will participate in garbage collection, weed removal, and illegal advertisement cleanup.

Mokpo has seen a sharp increase in tourists visiting major attractions such as Peace Plaza, Yudal Amusement Park, and Samhakdo since May due to the easing of COVID-19 social distancing and the rise in spring outing visitors. In particular, the ‘2022 Mokpo Marine W Show New Works Showcase’ held on Children’s Day, May 5th, attracted a huge crowd of citizens and tourists.

To maintain the increasing trend of tourists, the city will operate the Dancing Sea Fountain at Peace Plaza daily (closed on Mondays). From May and September to November, it will run twice on weekdays (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday) at 8:00 PM and 8:30 PM, and three times on weekends (Friday, Saturday) at 8:00 PM, 8:30 PM, and 9:00 PM. From June to August, it will operate three times daily from Tuesday to Sunday at the same times. Additionally, the Marine W Show is planned to be held every Friday and Saturday starting in June.

In the original downtown area, the ‘2022 Saengsaeng Cultural Festival’ will be held every Saturday until October (except August). This year’s Saengsaeng Cultural Festival consists of two programs held biweekly: ‘Mokpo Specialty Okdani! Visiting the Feast!’ and ‘Mokpo Open Port Time Travel.’

‘Mokpo Specialty Okdani! Visiting the Feast!’ is a mobile street play featuring cultural heritage explanations by Okdani and Okdani doll making, while ‘Mokpo Open Port Time Travel’ includes a cultural heritage tour with modern historical figures explaining cultural assets and a reenacted open port street performance.

A city official stated, “Tourism, which had been stagnant due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, is showing signs of recovery,” and added, “We will work hard to establish a system to accommodate tourists for revitalizing the local economy and establishing the image of a tourist city.”