Gyeongnam, Busan, Jeonnam - Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Develop Namhaean Coast as a Marine Tourism Hub

Holding of the Southern Coastal Region Policy Council and Business Agreement Ceremony

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] On the 20th, Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, signed a business agreement to revitalize marine leisure tourism in the Namhae Coast region at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries-Namhae Coast Policy Council held at Tongyeong International Music Hall.

According to Gyeongnam Province, the policy council was attended by Governor Park, Cho Seung-hwan, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, Park Hyung-joon, Mayor of Busan Metropolitan City, and Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeonnam Province.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the three local governments announced that they held this policy council and signed a business agreement to establish the Namhae Coast region as a world-class marine leisure tourism belt by uniting their intentions in accordance with the policy to create a Namhae Coast marine leisure tourism belt revealed in the presidential work report last January.

Gyeongnam Governor Park Wan-su (far left), Jeonnam Governor Kim Young-rok, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Cho Seung-hwan, and Busan Mayor Park Hyung-joon signed a business agreement to revitalize marine leisure tourism in the South Coast region at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries-South Coast Policy Council.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

According to the agreement, ideas will be discovered to utilize tourism resources and foster industries by region, and through regional linkage, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Busan, Jeonnam, and Gyeongnam will mutually cooperate in system improvement and mid- to long-term strategy establishment.

Subsequently, core tasks will be identified and specified through the ‘Namhae Coast Marine Leisure Tourism Belt Promotion Team.’

In the agreement, Gyeongnam Province emphasized its role in fostering the Namhae Coast as the world’s top marine tourism hub.

It will focus on strengthening core functions such as maritime transportation and infrastructure as a hub connecting Busan and Jeonnam, and developing marine content.

Based on cooperation between the central government and local regions, it plans to play a leading role in promoting policies to establish the Namhae Coast region as a representative marine leisure tourism hub in Northeast Asia.

At the policy council held that day, the Korea Maritime Institute presented the necessity and overall direction for revitalizing marine leisure tourism in the Namhae Coast region.

Following this, the three cities and provinces of Gyeongnam, Busan, and Jeonnam each explained their independently conceived plans to revitalize marine leisure tourism.

Governor Park said, “The driving force for Korea’s development cannot rely solely on manufacturing; it must move toward the service industry, and the core is the tourism industry,” emphasizing, “Especially, the tourism industry utilizing the Namhae Coast is a key strategy that can be differentiated from the metropolitan area.”

He added, “The Namhae Coast has been viewed only from the perspective of preservation and regulation as Hallyeohaesang National Park and Dadohae National Park, and has been neglected,” and “If it is literally a park, it should become part of the people’s lives; preservation should be maintained where necessary, but development should proceed where possible.”

Governor Park said, “I hope today’s policy council will be the first step in turning the Namhae Coast tourist attractions into growth engines and actively fostering the marine tourism industry.”

Minister Cho said, “We aim to develop the Namhae Coast, which has abundant marine leisure tourism resources, into a global marine tourism destination visited by people worldwide,” and “Through this policy council, we will unite the potential of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the three cities and provinces to jointly strive to become a global marine tourism mecca.”