Sim Min, Imsil County Governor, Visits National Assembly to Secure State Budget 'All-Out Effort'

Imsil-gun, Jeonbuk, is continuing multifaceted efforts to secure national budgets and resolve current issues in order to accelerate the era of ten million tourists in Imsil.

According to the county on the 21st, County Governor Shim Min visited the National Assembly the day before to secure the 2024 national budget and discussed Imsil-gun’s current issues with Lee Yong-ho, the local member of the National Assembly (People Power Party, Namwon·Imsil·Sunchang).

Shim Min, Imsil County Governor, visited the National Assembly on the 20th to secure the 2024 national budget.
[Photo by Imsil County]

Governor Shim requested support for major issues to Assemblyman Lee Yong-ho, who was selected as a member of the Budget and Accounts Special Committee, including ▲KTX stop at Imsil Station on the Jeolla Line ▲Creation of Okjeongho Jaraseom Eco Healing Land (19 billion KRW) ▲Construction of a bridge for access to Okjeongho Bungeo Island (18 billion KRW) ▲Construction of Imsil-gun Student Ssireum Hall National Sports Center (6 billion KRW) ▲Reuse of treated wastewater from Imsil public sewage treatment facilities (13.4 billion KRW), and asked for securing next year’s national funding.

First, he explained the necessity and justification for attracting the KTX stop at Imsil Station.

Last year, 8.09 million tourists visited Imsil-gun, and with the opening of the Okjeongho suspension bridge, the number of tourists has steadily increased. However, among the nine sections of the Jeolla Line, only Imsil Station does not have a KTX stop. To improve accessibility for visitors to the National Imsil Memorial Cemetery and the 35th Division nationwide and to promote regional balanced development, he actively requested cooperation in consultations with related ministries.

Second, he asked for support to include the 19 billion KRW project for creating the Okjeongho Jaraseom (90,000㎡) Eco Healing Land, located in front of the Atteulak Cafe in Unjeong-ri, Unam-myeon, which will be specialized as an ecological tourism resource by developing a botanical garden, a planterior exhibition hall, and walking trails, and to complete the entire 89.3 km trail connecting the suspension bridge, Bungeo Island Ecological Park, and ecological exploration routes.

Third, he requested the expansion of the access road bridge to Bungeo Island (18 billion KRW) to prepare for emergencies such as fires or accidents at Bungeo Island Ecological Park, which attracted 620,000 tourists since the suspension bridge opened in October last year, and to maintain the landscape and convenience facilities regardless of weather conditions such as wind and water flow.

Fourth, as Imsil-gun is gaining attention as a nationwide training site for elementary, middle, and high school students’ ssireum sports activities, he requested interest in the 6 billion KRW National Sports Center project (ssireum hall) within the Imsil-gun Sports Complex, as the current ssireum hall is small.

Fifth, due to the government’s fiscal tightening policy, the 13.4 billion KRW project for reusing treated wastewater from Imsil public sewage treatment facilities, which was not reflected at the ministry level, was requested to be addressed at the Ministry of Economy and Finance review stage to resolve the drying up of Imsilcheon Stream passing through Imsil and to supply industrial water to the Imsil Industrial Complex.

Governor Shim Min said, “2023 is the first year to fully open the era of ten million tourists in Imsil, so we will communicate closely with central ministries, Jeollabuk-do, and the political circle and make greater efforts to secure national budgets and resolve current issues.”

Imsil = Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Nosik baekok@asiae.co.kr