Wando Governor Shin Woochul Presents "Leap and Prosperity" Vision for County Administration at Opening Ceremony

Advancing 12 Years of Achievements
Focusing on Marine Healing and Balanced Development

On January 2, Shin Woochul, the governor of Wando County, presented "Leap and Prosperity" as this year's theme during the opening ceremony, expressing his ambition to achieve a leap forward for Wando based on the achievements accumulated so far.

Governor Shin stated, "We will make this a year of dynamic progress and vigorous prosperity," and outlined six key directions for county administration to brighten Wando's future by advancing the core projects that have been pursued over the past 12 years, from the 6th to the 8th popularly elected terms.

Shin Woochul, the county governor, expressed his ambition to achieve a leap forward for Wando based on the accumulated achievements during the opening ceremony. Photo by Wando County

The six key directions are: strengthening the capabilities of the marine healing and marine bio industries; establishing a new tourism paradigm by linking marine healing with wellness tourism; fostering new industries and responding to climate change in Wando’s natural agriculture, fisheries, and livestock sectors; accelerating large-scale social overhead capital (SOC) projects; achieving balanced development between the mainland and the islands; and building a happy community through comprehensive welfare initiatives.

Regarding the marine healing and marine bio industries, the county will pursue the designation of a marine healing district, establish a platform combining artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, and create an integrated ecosystem for healing, tourism, and healthcare industries.

For the marine bio industry utilizing seaweed and abalone, the plan is to gradually build related infrastructure and develop the area into an industrial hub.

In the tourism sector, the county aims to establish a new tourism paradigm by linking marine healing and wellness tourism through the early construction of the National Subtropical Arboretum and the National Maritime and Fisheries Museum, the creation of the nation's only "Healing Island," the implementation of "Wando Healing Pay," and the hosting of the 2026 Pre-Wando International Seaweed Expo.

In the agriculture, fisheries, and livestock sectors, the county will work on building a blue carbon economic ecosystem for seaweed, establishing a climate change response center, expanding land-based seaweed seedling production, utilizing AI-based aquaculture platforms, and diversifying export markets.

For agriculture and livestock, the plan is to lay the foundation for future agriculture by distributing smart agricultural and livestock technologies, expanding the cultivation of subtropical crops, and broadening the scope of healing agriculture.

In the SOC sector, the county will accelerate the opening of the first phase of the Gwangju-Wando Expressway and the early start of the second phase, as well as speed up the expansion of transportation infrastructure by passing the preliminary feasibility study for the Yaksan-Geumil bridge and commencing construction of the Nowha-Soan connecting bridge.

Additionally, the county will promote balanced development between the mainland and the islands by improving living conditions in 12 towns and villages, advancing urban regeneration projects, implementing local extinction response fund projects, revitalizing fishing villages, and establishing a wide-area water supply network.

Governor Shin said, "Wando is growing as a global marine healing tourism destination, a hub for sustainable future marine industries, and a leading city in seaweed blue carbon. We will steadily implement Wando's development tasks to achieve even greater results this year and ensure that these achievements benefit the lives of our residents."