Uljin-gun Selected as Finalist for This Year’s ‘Organic Agricultural Industry Complex Service Support Project’ Competition

Secured 18 Billion KRW in Project Funds Over 4 Years Starting 2023

Maximizing Synergy by Linking Existing Facilities at Wangpicheon Park

Uljin-gun, Gyeongbuk Province, has been finally selected for the 2023 Organic Agriculture Complex Service Support Complex (hereinafter referred to as the Organic Complex) public contest project hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, securing a project budget of 18 billion KRW.

Uljin County Office.

In the future, an organic complex cultural space providing comprehensive services such as eco-friendly education, experience, and consumption to promote the consumption of eco-friendly agricultural products will be created around Wangpicheon Park.

Uljin-gun applied for the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs public contest project in January and was selected as the final project site after competing with four cities and counties nationwide through document screening, on-site, and presentation evaluations.

Wangpicheon Park, the project location, has hosted the Uljin World Eco-friendly Agriculture Expo twice and is a key site attracting about one million tourists, playing a significant role in this selection.

The Organic Complex to be established around Wangpicheon Park will receive 18 billion KRW over four years (9 billion KRW from the national government and 9 billion KRW from local government) and will include an Organic Complex Cultural Center, Youth Organic Farming School, Future Agriculture Exhibition Hall, Eco-friendly Kimchi Manufacturing Factory, and Eco-friendly Agriculture Education and Experience Farm.

In particular, the Organic Complex Cultural Center will be developed as a health and healing space themed around organic farming, featuring an organic promotion hall, organic restaurant, kids cafe, eco-friendly agricultural products sales area, and Kimchi Suragan, catering to all age groups.

In the first year of the project, 2023, the county plans to purchase the project site and establish the basic plan including basic surveys, project conception, and economic feasibility analysis. In 2024, based on the basic plan, detailed and implementation designs and operation plans will be prepared. Construction will begin in 2025 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026.

County Governor Son Byeong-bok stated, “This great achievement was made possible through the joint efforts of local eco-friendly farmers and organizations and the cooperation of related institutions within Gyeongbuk Province. The Organic Complex will serve as the foundation for a major transformation in Uljin agriculture, fostering strategic items such as shiitake mushrooms, facility leafy vegetables, and fruit vegetables, and creating an advanced smart agriculture complex. We will do our best to build a happy rural community with jobs and income and a hopeful Uljin countryside.”