'Pyeongtaek Gwongwanhang' Fishing Village New Deal Completion Ceremony on 27th... 14.2 Billion Won Invested

Fish Tank Facility Maintenance

Although fishing activities have been active since the Joseon Dynasty, Pyeongtaek Gwongwan Port, which had lost its function due to various development projects, has regained vitality as a fishing village.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 26th that it will hold the completion ceremony for the Pyeongtaek Gwongwan Port Fishing Village New Deal project, the fifth project under the ‘Fishing Village New Deal 300’, on the 27th of this month.

The Gwongwan Port Fishing Village New Deal project, themed ‘Recovered Harbor, Gwongwan Port,’ has been carried out from 2020 to 2024 with a total investment of 14.2 billion KRW from national and local funds. The project focused on environmental improvements to restore fishing activities, such as reinforcing the breakwater, constructing a new quay, creating a pier, and building a community center, as well as establishing a tourism infrastructure to generate village income.

Gwongwan-ri, Hyeondeok-myeon, has been an active fishing area since the Joseon Dynasty, with fishing grounds formed and shellfish, crabs, and oysters harvested from the mudflats. In the late 1960s, clam farming also began. However, due to active developments around the area such as the Asan Bay Embankment, Pyeongtaek LNG Base Port construction, and Pyeongtaek Port development, the functions of the fishing village and port were reduced, and the vitality of the fishing village was lost.

In response, Gyeonggi Province strengthened the port functions through facility modernization, including safe docking facilities protected from natural disasters and repairing the collapsing breakwater. They also promoted various software projects such as creating community spaces and providing education for fishing community organizations and leaders to restore the pride of the fishing village.

Gong Jeong-sik, Director of the Gyeonggi Province Agriculture, Fisheries and Life Sciences Bureau, said, "Although the area around Gwongwan Port gradually lost its harbor appearance due to extensive development, the Fishing Village New Deal 300 project has restored the culture and community of the fishing village. Going forward, Gyeonggi Province will actively discover and promote projects that revitalize fishing villages through integrated fishing village and port development tailored to local characteristics amid the risk of fishing village extinction."

The Fishing Village New Deal 300 is a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries public project aimed at modernizing living infrastructure and discovering regional specialization projects in 300 fishing villages and ports nationwide to boost regional vitality.

Gyeonggi Province has had a total of eight sites selected. Starting with Hwaseong Baekmi Port in 2022, five sites including Siheung Oido Port, Ansan Haengnang-gok Port, Hwaseong Go-on Port, and Pyeongtaek Gwongwan Port have been completed. Additional projects will be carried out at three sites: Hwaseong Gukhwado Port, Gimpo Daemyeong Port, and Ansan Daebudo (Seongam Port, Tando Port, Heulgot Port).