Introducing Ulleungdo's Tourist Attractions and Local Specialties
Aiming to Revitalize Tourism
Ulleung County in North Gyeongsang Province participated in the 6th Island Day event held in Wando County, Jeollanam-do, from August 7 to August 10, 2025. Through this event, Ulleung County widely promoted its unique appeal and laid the groundwork for regional development by fostering exchanges with other island regions.
This event, hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and organized by Jeollanam-do and Wando County, was held at Wando Beach Park under the theme "Take a Slow Look Around the Islands."
As the only island county in North Gyeongsang Province, Ulleung County operated a promotional exhibition hall and a sensory experience booth at the event. The county actively promoted Ulleungdo’s beautiful tourist resources and outstanding local specialties, raising expectations for revitalizing tourism in Ulleung.
The Ulleung County delegation served as ambassadors for the county by participating in major events such as the government commemorative ceremony on August 8 and the Island Residents’ Harmony Gathering on August 9. They also acted as a delegation to benchmark best practices from other island regions, making the event a meaningful opportunity to learn about strengths in various fields such as agriculture, fisheries, and tourism.
On August 8, County Governor Nam Han-gwon attended the Island Region Basic Local Government Heads’ Council held at the Farmers and Fishermen’s Culture and Sports Center. There, he explained the challenges facing Ulleung tourism and called for inter-county cooperation and active government support to advance the tourism industry and normalize passenger ship operations.
In particular, Governor Nam highlighted the severe lack of passenger ship fare subsidies for Ulleung residents and the financial difficulties caused by a limited annual budget of 240 billion KRW. He proposed several measures: designating the Ulleung route passenger ship fare as public transportation, amending the Public Transportation Act to revitalize island economies, and expanding fare subsidies to include general travelers as part of support for island residents. He also emphasized that additional national funding is essential for the stable operation and expansion of fare support for Ulleung islanders.
On August 9, Governor Nam held a breakfast meeting with Lee Chae-ik, President of the Korea Shipping Association, to discuss improvements to the passenger ship operation system to ensure Ulleung residents’ right to mobility and address financial challenges.
At the meeting, Governor Nam proposed the implementation of a quasi-public passenger ship system, nationwide passenger fare subsidies including trips to Dokdo, and broader support for daily logistics in island regions. He repeatedly requested both policy and financial support to guarantee the basic rights of islanders and strengthen the public nature of maritime transportation.
Governor Nam stated, "The Island Day event was a valuable opportunity to promote the outstanding appeal of Ulleungdo and to benchmark development cases from other island regions. Going forward, we will continue to pursue diverse exchanges and cooperation to drive sustainable development in Ulleung County, while doing our utmost to expand transportation and tourism infrastructure so that both island residents and tourists can benefit."
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