Seosan Mayor Lee Wan-seop: "Advancing as an International Tourism City through Haemieupseong Festival and More"

Seosan Haemieupseong Festival Selected as an Excellent Festival by Chungnam Province, Securing 200 Million KRW in Provincial Funding
Accelerating Construction of the Haemi International Holy Site Pilgrim Visitor Center, Aiming for Completion in 2026

Lee Wanseop, mayor of Seosan City, Chungnam, is communicating with the residents of Haemi-myeon during a dialogue with citizens held at the Haemi-myeon Administrative Welfare Center on the 14th. Photo by Seosan City

Lee Wan-seop, Mayor of Seosan City in Chungnam, stated that he would do his utmost to establish Seosan as an international tourist city through projects such as the Haemieupseong Festival and the Haemi International Holy Site Landmark Project.

On the morning of the 14th, at a conversation with citizens held at the Haemi-myeon Administrative Welfare Center with over 200 local residents in attendance, Mayor Lee shared this commitment and unveiled a blueprint for Seosan's leap toward becoming an international tourist city, based on Seosan Haemieupseong and Haemi International Holy Site, in connection with regions such as Unsan-myeon.

On this day, Haemi-myeon residents asked questions about major local issues, showing particular interest in the projects to promote Seosan Haemieupseong and the Haemi International Holy Site as landmarks.

Last October, the city successfully concluded the 21st Seosan Haemieupseong Festival in the Haemieupseong area as a resident-led participatory festival, where the community and the festival coexisted in harmony.

A total of 36 programs across six fields were held, attracting a record number of over 270,000 visitors who created memorable experiences in the Haemieupseong area.

With the successful hosting of the festival, the city achieved the honor of being selected as an "Excellent Festival" for the second consecutive year in the "One City/County, One Specialty Festival Evaluation" organized by Chungcheongnam-do in December last year.

Through this selection, the city secured 200 million KRW in provincial funding, and plans to use this to further enrich the Seosan Haemieupseong Festival with even more attractive content this year, aiming to establish it as an international festival.

The city also plans to steadily promote the "Haemi International Holy Site Landmark Project" to lay the foundation for Haemi International Holy Site to become a global pilgrimage destination for Catholic believers, in preparation for the 2027 World Youth Day.

As part of the project last year, the city completed the establishment of the Haemi International Holy Site Digital History Experience Center, the hosting of the KBS Open Concert commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Pope's visit, and the exhibition of the Pope's vehicle at the Wake-up International Youth Center.

This year, the city is pushing forward with the construction of the Haemi International Holy Site Pilgrim Visitor Center, aiming to open it in 2026. The center will be equipped with a grand auditorium, a large conference room, a prayer room, and a multilingual pilgrimage support room to provide convenience for pilgrims and tourists.

In addition, the city will focus its administrative efforts on creating the Haemi International Holy Site Cultural Exchange Center, which will offer residency programs for visiting pilgrims and serve as an infrastructure for the World Youth Day.

Mayor Lee Wan-seop said, "Last year's international cruise ship departure from the west coast, a first for the Chungcheong region, as well as the hosting of the Haemi International Holy Site and the Asia Bird Expo, are proof that Seosan is already moving forward as an international city," adding, "I will do my best to establish Seosan as an international tourist city through the Seosan Haemieupseong Festival and the Haemi International Holy Site Landmark Project."

Meanwhile, on this day, Haemi-myeon residents submitted various questions and suggestions to Mayor Lee, including the progress of Seosan Airport, reinforcement of the Haemi Stream promenade, and the permanent opening of the east gate of Seosan Haemieupseong.