Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Selects 25 Sites for Fishing Village New Vitality Promotion Project

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 26th the selection of 25 new target sites for the '2025 Fisheries Village New Vitality Promotion Project.'

The Fisheries Village New Vitality Promotion Project is a program that supports the transformation of 300 fisheries villages into vibrant spaces with a total investment of 3 trillion KRW, and has been underway since 2023.

This project is divided into three types according to the size and characteristics of the fisheries villages: Fisheries Economy Platform Development (Type 1, up to 30 billion KRW support), Fisheries Living Platform Development (Type 2, up to 10 billion KRW support), and Fisheries Safety Infrastructure Improvement (Type 3, up to 5 billion KRW support).

To select this year’s project sites, a public application was conducted from October to December last year targeting coastal local governments nationwide. As a result, 98 candidate sites were applied for from 41 cities, counties, and districts in 11 metropolitan cities and provinces. After a three-month evaluation, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries finally selected 25 project sites.

The Ministry selected six sites for the Fisheries Economy Platform Development: Jangho Port in Samcheok-si, Gangwon; Gampo Port in Gyeongju-si, Gyeongbuk; Samcheonpo Port in Sacheon-si, Gyeongnam; Gyeokpo Port in Buan-gun, Jeonbuk; Janggo Port in Dangjin-si, Chungnam; and Janghang Port in Seocheon-gun. Each site will receive 30 billion KRW in funding over five years, with approximately 870 billion KRW of private capital investment expected. Through this, a fisheries industry complex and basic tourism infrastructure will be established to develop these fisheries villages into regional fisheries and tourism hubs.

In the case of Jangho Port in Samcheok-si, the public project will create a 'Business Complex' and a 'Seafood Complex Center,' and a marine leisure economic hub will be developed by attracting a resort condominium through private investment.

Through the Fisheries Village New Vitality Promotion Project, Jangho Port is expected to create about 500 new jobs and increase the resident population to 140,000, transforming into a 'marine leisure-type fisheries economy hub.'

For the Fisheries Living Platform Development, five sites were selected: Bongpo Port in Goseong-gun, Gangwon; Seokbyeong-ri Port in Pohang-si, Gyeongbuk; Yeonhwa Living Area in Tongyeong-si, Gyeongnam; Songdo Port in Yeosu-si, Jeonnam; and Donggo Living Area in Wando-gun. Each site will receive 10 billion KRW in funding over four years to improve living services such as culture and welfare for fisheries village residents. In particular, the Donggo Living Area in Wando-gun will have an anchor organization stationed locally to discover and implement programs that improve necessary living services.

For the Fisheries Safety Infrastructure Improvement, 14 sites were selected, including Jido Port in Ongjin-gun, Incheon; Songgyo Port in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi; and Tosan Port in Seogwipo-si, Jeju. Each site will receive 5 billion KRW in funding over three years. Among these, Tosan Port in Seogwipo-si, Jeju, will strengthen safety by reinforcing breakwaters to prevent wave overtopping damage caused by high waves, and create rest areas where haenyeo (female divers) can rest before and after fishing.

The Ministry plans to operate an advisory group composed of experts from various fields to provide on-site, hands-on consulting and will frequently hold training sessions for stakeholders to ensure thorough project management.

Kang Do-hyung, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, stated, "As the Fisheries Village New Vitality Promotion Project enters its third year, we will proceed with the project responsibly and swiftly so that fisheries village residents can feel the changes."