'Icheon = Rice'... Even the Rest Area Name Changed

Jungbu Expressway Upbound Renamed from 'Icheon' to 'Icheon Ssal'
Icheon City "Will Promote Excellence with Various Rice Products"

The 'Icheon Rest Area' on the northbound lane of the Jungbu Expressway has been renamed to 'Icheon Rice Rest Area.'

On the 31st, Icheon City in Gyeonggi Province announced that it held a renaming plaque ceremony at the 'Icheon Rice Rest Area,' attended by Mayor Kim Kyung-hee, Oh In-seop, Head of the Korea Expressway Corporation Metropolitan Headquarters, and others.

Participants are taking a commemorative photo at the renaming plaque ceremony of 'Icheon Rice Rest Area.'
[Photo by Icheon City]

This rest area name change aims to increase awareness of the local specialty, 'Icheon Rice.' To this end, the city has been in consultation with the Korea Expressway Corporation for over a year, and the rest area name change review committee approved it at the end of June. Prior to the official plaque ceremony, the city replaced all rest area directional signs and facility signboards on the 17th.

Mayor Kim Kyung-hee expressed hope that "the Icheon Rice Rest Area on the Jungbu Expressway, which sees about 700,000 vehicles daily, will serve as an important promotional function to showcase the excellence of Icheon Rice both domestically and internationally."

Oh In-seop, Head of the Korea Expressway Corporation, said, "Taking this renaming as an opportunity, we will develop the Icheon Rice Rest Area into an open rest area where Icheon citizens can participate together."

Building on this renaming, the city plans to promote the use of 'King's Icheon Rice' in the rest area restaurants and, in cooperation with the rest area operators, aims to sell various instant foods made with Icheon Rice ingredients, such as walnut cookies, ice cream, and brown rice coffee.