Yangyang County Aims to Become a Global Marine Leisure Tourism City... Reapplies for Development Project Contest

Yangyang County in Gangwon Province is making another attempt to participate in the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries’ public contest for the Complex Marine Leisure Tourism City development project. The county has set a goal to become a global-level marine leisure tourism city through this initiative.

Comprehensive Plan for the Complex Marine Leisure Tourism City. Provided by Yangyang County

This project is being pursued with a total scale of 1.03 trillion won, consisting of 200 billion won in government funding and 830 billion won in private investment. The project site covers 2.35 million square meters (1.65 million square meters of marine area and 700,000 square meters of land area) centered around Susan Port in Susan-ri, Sonyang-myeon. The project period is 10 years, from 2026 to 2035.

The government-funded portion includes the construction of a marine leisure marina, a marine leisure tourism center, a sea-cation park, an observation skywalk, a seaside landscape trail, and the development of marine leisure infrastructure at Dongho Beach. The private sector will build a hotel and resort with 432 rooms, spanning five underground floors and 18 above-ground floors.

Through this project, Yangyang County aims to establish a complex urban base that integrates marine leisure and tourism, and expects tangible results such as revitalizing the local economy, creating jobs, and attracting more tourists.

The county particularly highlights its outstanding natural environment and convenient transportation infrastructure as key strengths. With excellent accessibility via Yangyang International Airport and the Donghae Expressway, as well as a variety of marine leisure resources such as surfing points and a yacht marina, Yangyang is highly competitive.

The tourism resources encompassing Seoraksan Mountain and the East Coast are considered so attractive that Yangyang is called the "Second Nice." In addition, the recent launch of Parata Airlines has elevated the status of Yangyang International Airport, and projects such as the construction of an indoor marine sports education center and the installation of the Osaek cable car in Seoraksan National Park are planned, creating favorable conditions for future growth in tourism and leisure demand.

A county official stated, "Based on our outstanding natural environment and excellent transportation infrastructure, we will develop Yangyang into a global marine leisure tourism city," adding, "We will achieve sustainable growth together with local residents."