Uijeongbu City Accelerates Establishment of Culture and Tourism Foundation to Transform from Military City to Tourism Hub

Uijeongbu Takes First Step Toward Sustainable Tourism City
Forum Held to Build Consensus on Establishing Culture and Tourism Foundation

Uijeongbu City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Kim Donggeun) held the "Uijeongbu, Tourism City Rebranding Strategy Forum" at the Eum Modum Hall of Uijeongbu Culture Station on the 26th.

Mayor Kim Donggeun is taking a commemorative photo with attendees at the "Uijeongbu Tourism City Rebranding Strategy Forum" held on the 26th. Provided by Uijeongbu City

This forum was organized to share with citizens the necessity for Uijeongbu to take a leap forward as a tourism city in preparation for the launch of the city’s Culture and Tourism Foundation, and to explore ways to establish the city’s identity and set a direction for sustainable tourism policies.

About 200 people attended the forum, including experts in tourism, culture, and city branding, local artists, tourism industry representatives, and citizens, demonstrating great interest in the event.

The forum served as a platform for communication, discussing strategies to strengthen the brand competitiveness of tourism cities, explaining the need for tourism city rebranding and its relevance to citizens’ everyday lives, and fostering understanding and empathy among participants.

In particular, case studies showing that a city’s image can be transformed through local culture and arts-based festivals, reestablishing the city brand, and developing tourism content based on daily life-even without large-scale tourism resources-resonated strongly with the citizens.

In the first presentation, Choi Kyungeun, Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute, analyzed Uijeongbu’s tourism conditions and explained the direction for developing content in culture, arts, and tourism.

Choi Kyungeun stressed, "Tourism is shifting from simple consumption to experiencing the stories of a region, which makes the role of culture and arts-based content even more important."

Kim Donggeun, the mayor, is delivering a greeting at the "Uijeongbu Tourism City Rebranding Strategy Forum" held on the 26th. Provided by Uijeongbu City

Next, Professor Kim Jooyeon of Shinhan University proposed tourism policy directions based on big data and emphasized the importance of image rebranding so that Uijeongbu can establish itself as a "stay-type culture and arts tourism city" representing not only northern Gyeonggi but all of South Korea.

She also argued that the Black Music Festival (BMF), held at Camp Red Cloud (CRC) in October, where the number of visitors increased exceptionally, served as an opportunity to shift the paradigm of city tourism from "day trips" to "stay-type" visits, and that it practically demonstrated this potential.

In the third presentation, Oh Kyungim, Director of the Gangnam Medical Tour Center, shared Gangnam District’s successful case in medical tourism and explored the potential and growth prospects for medical tourism in Uijeongbu. She confirmed that medical tourism is a key strategic industry that can not only provide medical services but also revitalize the local economy and strengthen the city’s competitiveness.

Finally, Kim Jindeok, Team Leader at the Sejong City Culture and Tourism Foundation, emphasized the importance of tourism strategies based on cultural content and public-private cooperation structures by sharing Sejong City’s cultural tourism cases. He also suggested that the Culture and Tourism Foundation should play a control tower role by comprehensively promoting the discovery of tourism resources, content planning, and marketing.

Participants noted that "a tourism city does not start from somewhere far away, but from the everyday life and culture of our own neighborhood." They also reached a consensus that Uijeongbu already has sufficient potential-such as music, the history of the US military base, local commercial districts, and everyday cultural resources-and that a systematic strategy to connect these elements is necessary.

One citizen remarked, "Until now, Uijeongbu has only been recognized as a 'good city to live in,' but through today’s forum, I realized that it can also fully develop into a 'city to visit and stay in.'"

The scene from the "Uijeongbu, Tourism City Rebranding Strategy Forum" held on the 26th at Uijeongbu Culture Station Eum Modum Hall. Provided by Uijeongbu City

A city official said, "This forum was a meaningful occasion to share with citizens the necessity and role of establishing a Culture and Tourism Foundation for Uijeongbu’s leap as a tourism city," adding, "We will reflect the various opinions presented at the forum to build a tourism city brand that integrates culture and tourism and take the region’s tourism competitiveness to the next level."

Meanwhile, the Uijeongbu City Culture and Tourism Foundation is currently proceeding with the necessary procedures for its establishment, aiming for an official launch in March next year.