Changnyeong-gun Visits Japan to Revive Bugok Oncheon... Reasonable Sale and Development Plans

Korea's First Hot Spring City, Changnyeong Bugok Oncheon Anticipates Second Heyday

View of Changnyeong County Office.

On the 25th, Changnyeong-gun, Gyeongnam Province, visited Japan with Kim Byung-gyu, Deputy Governor for Economic Affairs of Gyeongnam Province, to revitalize Bugok Oncheon, and held a meeting with the owner of Bugok Hawaii regarding the sale of Bugok Hawaii and attracting investors, the county announced on the 26th.

In this meeting jointly conducted with Gyeongnam Province, both sides shared the current status of Bugok Hawaii, exchanged various opinions on reasonable sale and development plans, investor attraction strategies, and promised mutual cooperation.

Bugok Hawaii, opened in 1979 as the first comprehensive leisure facility in Korea, enjoyed a boom in the 1980s and 1990s as a destination for school trips, honeymoons, and family vacations, but closed in 2017 after 38 years of operation amid nationwide regret.

Meanwhile, the county has been making efforts to revitalize Bugok Oncheon by investing in the Bugok Oncheon Tourism Special Zone, hosting various sports competitions, and attracting training teams, thereby solidifying its position as a sports mecca. In addition, to resolve the issues of Bugok Hawaii, Gyeongnam Province and the county plan to jointly conduct a "Tourism Development Private Investment Site Consulting Service."

Chairman Bae Hyo-jun, the owner of Bugok Hawaii and a second-generation Korean-Japanese, said, "My love for Korea, my late father's hometown, and Changnyeong in Gyeongnam remains unchanged," adding, "I will do my best to ensure the smooth sale of Bugok Hawaii."

County Governor Seong Nak-in said, "Bugok Oncheon was designated as the nation's first hot spring city this time, and if the issues of Bugok Hawaii are resolved, it can stand tall as the best hot spring tourist destination in Korea," and added, "We will continue to communicate with Bugok Hawaii and actively work toward its sale and reopening."