Pyeongchang County Secures 2025 Local Specialized Regeneration Project
Full-Scale Launch of Odaesancheon Stay-Type Healing Tourism Centered on Jinbu-myeon Traditional Market
Pyeongchang County in Gangwon Province has been selected as a final recipient of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's "2025 Local Specialized Regeneration Urban Renewal Project." Starting next year, the county will launch a full-scale urban renewal initiative focused on revitalizing the area around Jinbu-myeon Traditional Market.
This project was designed to address the accelerating decline of the region, including weakening competitiveness of Jinbu Traditional Market and a decrease in incoming population. It is based on strategies to attract and retain visitors from successful resident-led festivals such as the Pyeongchang Trout Festival and the Pyeongchang Highland Kimchi Festival, as well as tourists visiting major attractions like Odaesan National Park and nearby large resorts, encouraging them to spend more time in Jinbu-myeon’s downtown area.
With 15 billion won (approximately 11.5 million USD) in national funding secured for four years from 2026 to 2029, the project’s core strategies include utilizing the "Odaesancheon" resources, encompassing Odaesan Mountain and Odaecheon Stream, to establish a healing tourism hub and create pedestrian-centric themed streets. In particular, building on the growth potential of resident-led content demonstrated through the Pyeongchang Highland Kimchi Festival, the county plans to develop year-round kimchi culture experience programs and foster a "Made in Odaesancheon" specialized brand, aiming to establish a sustainable regional revitalization system that encourages ongoing visits and consumption rather than one-off tourism.
As a healing tourism hub, the Odaesancheon Healing Center will be established to offer year-round kimchi culture experiences, along with healing and wellness activities such as angelica herbal foot baths and medicinal herb enzyme saunas using Odaesancheon’s natural ingredients. Accommodation facilities for extended stays will also be built, creating a foundation for stay-type tourism that draws visitors seeking relaxation and culinary experiences into Jinbu-myeon’s downtown and traditional market.
Additionally, the county plans to create Odae Square, introducing a European-style plaza culture to serve as a multifunctional cultural space where daily life, leisure, events, and festivals seamlessly blend.
This project is the result of ongoing participation and efforts by local residents, centered around the Jinbu-myeon Urban Regeneration Residents’ Council. The project’s quality has been enhanced through multiple rounds of feedback, including regular meetings and public hearings, as well as resident capacity-building through preliminary urban regeneration projects. The active cooperation of local institutions and organizations, along with the sustained interest and support of local assembly members, also contributed to the successful selection of the project.
Lee Jeongui, head of the county’s Urban Division, stated, "Through this urban renewal project, we aim to expand resident participation and strengthen local capacity, building connections between tourism, festivals, and the traditional market. Rather than stopping at short-term facility construction, we are working to create a sustainable urban regeneration model that residents can operate and develop proactively, which we expect will serve as a significant turning point for revitalizing Jinbu-myeon."
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