Woo Hongseop's Book Launch Draws Over 2,000 Attendees in Grand Success

Support Messages from Political Figures Including Park Ji-won, Chung Sye-kyun, and Seo Samseok
AI Q&A Demonstration Draws Attention... Vision Shared Through Talk Concert

The book launch event for Woo Hongseop, former Deputy Governor of Jindo County, was held at 2 p.m. on January 10 at the Wando Culture and Arts Center, drawing a crowd of over 2,000 local residents and achieving great success.

On that day, a strong wind advisory was in effect over the waters of Wando, leading to a complete suspension of passenger ferry services to seven island regions, including Nowha, Bogil, Soan, Cheongsan, and Geumil. Nevertheless, the venue for the "Blueprint for a Prosperous Wando" book launch remained packed from start to finish.

Woo Hongseop, former Deputy Governor of Jindo County, introduced his vision for the development of Wando at the book launch event and held a Q&A session about the book's content using artificial intelligence (AI). Photo by Lee Jungkyung

Not only were all seats filled, but even the aisles were crowded with residents, and many people reportedly gave up entering due to a lack of parking spaces and available seats. The organizers believe that the actual number of people who wanted to attend was much higher than the official count.

On this day, political figures such as Assemblyman Park Ji-won, former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, and Seo Samseok, Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party of Korea, conveyed their support through video congratulatory messages.

Assemblyman Park praised Woo as "a person who has proven his abilities through results, not words," while Supreme Council Member Seo called him "one of the deputy governors who has worked the hardest for Wando." Former Prime Minister Chung emphasized "the importance of individuals who have prepared in the field for a long time."

In the second part of the event, An Jingul, Director of the People's Livelihood Economy Research Institute, served as host and introduced Woo's vision for the development of Wando as presented in the book. There was also a demonstration in which artificial intelligence (AI) answered questions about the book's content in real time.

In his greeting, former Deputy Governor Woo stated, "I will not forget the feelings of island residents who could not attend due to the strong winds," and promised, "I will visit the islands in person soon to communicate with you."

Shin Woochul, Wando County Governor, and Kim Yanghoon, Chairman of Wando County Council, attended the book launch ceremony and, after delivering congratulatory remarks, waved congratulatory placards together with the visitors. Photo by Lee Jungkyung

Last October, former Deputy Governor Woo announced his intention to run for Wando County Governor, presenting a vision to develop Wando into the "marine and fisheries capital of Korea."

He introduced the "1·1·1 Vision," which aims for a budget of 1 trillion won, 10 million annual tourists, and a resident population of 100,000. He stated, "Wando should become not just a region that implements fisheries policies, but a central hub that designs and leads such policies."

In particular, he emphasized the need for structural innovation in abalone aquaculture, Wando's core industry. Woo noted, "Abalone remains a special-occasion food," and argued, "We need to change the processing and distribution structure so that abalone can be easily prepared and consumed in daily life, like instant noodles." He also presented examples of processed food developments such as abalone fish cakes and abalone sweet and sour dishes.

To stabilize the abalone industry, he proposed a cooperative model involving administrative agencies from both Shinan and Wando. He explained, "The abalone industry also needs a structure where demand, production, and distribution are coordinated," adding, "If local governments, fisheries cooperatives, and processing companies operate as a single system, we can secure both market competitiveness and dominance."

As a plan to revitalize the local economy, he set the goal of "producing a KOSDAQ-listed company in Wando," emphasizing, "I will transform Wando from a mere administrative area into an economic space full of opportunities and challenges."

Former Deputy Governor Woo also unveiled the concept of a "Second Cheonghaejin Era," linking the advancement of the abalone and seaweed industries with marine bio and marine healing industries. His plan is to secure carbon credits by combining seaweed-based blue carbon projects with clean energy sources such as offshore wind and solar power, and to return these benefits as income to residents.

For improving living conditions, he proposed community-based social overhead capital (SOC) projects such as building park golf courses in each town, expanding all-day care centers, establishing a KTX Wando Station, constructing a marine tourism road, and expanding the road network connecting all 12 towns.

A native of Wando, Woo began his public service career at the Wando County Office and went on to serve in the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Economy, and Welfare Bureaus of the South Jeolla Provincial Government. He is recognized for his achievements in attracting government-funded projects during his tenure as Deputy Governor of Jindo County.

In local political circles, there is growing interest in Woo's future political path, as this book launch event drew a massive crowd despite adverse conditions.