(Donghae, Samcheok, Gangwon-do Goseong = Yonhap News) Reporter Ryu Ho-jun = Fishing ports on the east coast of Gangwon-do were selected side by side for the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries' Fishing Village New Deal 3.0 project contest.
A complex space combining fishing and tourism will be created in Donghae and Samcheok, and living infrastructure such as a fishermen's shelter and resident care space will be expanded in Goseong.
According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on the 9th, in the '2027 Fishing Village New Deal 3.0 Project' contest hosted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Mukho Port and Samcheok Port on the East Sea were selected as fishing village economic takeoff sites, and Goseong Munam 2-ri and Gyoam Port were selected as fishing village recovery sites, respectively.
Fishing Village New Deal 3.0 is a regeneration project to revitalize the local economy by connecting and integrating fishing villages and fishing ports that have declined due to population decline and changes in industrial structure.
Depending on the characteristics of the fishing village, it is divided into a fishing village economic takeoff type that induces private investment and a fishing village recovery type that improves the livelihood and safety base.
With this selection, 30 billion won (including 15 billion won in government funds) will be invested each in Mukho Port and Samcheok Port on the East Sea for five years until 2031.
Up to KRW 10 billion, including KRW 7 billion in government funds, KRW 900 million in provincial funds, and KRW 2.1 billion in military expenses, is scheduled to be invested in Goseong Munam 2-ri and Gyoam Port over four years from 2027 to 2030.
Mukho Port in the East Sea will be created as a base for residential marine tourism with the vision of ‘Mukkomuko’.
In addition to the 'Muko Complex', a fisheries tourism complex with a live fish sales outlet and fishing gear storage facility, and a youth fishermen's entrepreneurship mall, 'Muko Skyroof' to improve the pedestrian environment, a joint wastewater treatment plant for marine products, a travel garden and waterfront space, and a nightscape improvement project are being promoted.
In particular, we plan to encourage tourist stays and revitalize the local economy by linking with the Mangsang International Complex Tourism City private investment project.
Samcheok Port will be a space that combines culture, tourism, and fishing functions.
'Ocean Link', a cultural and arts-based walking network that connects complex tourist facilities and local asset regeneration projects, 'Samcheok Port Badarang Fisherman's Maru' to renovate old fishing facilities and expand living SOC, and 'Samcheok Travel Ocean Rest Lounge' with a traveler's rest area and a vacation remote work cafe will be created.
A ‘Samcheok Fishery Cooperative Self-cooked Octopus Workshop’ will also be established to increase the added value of local marine products.
Goseong Munam 2-ri and Gyoam Port focus on improving the living conditions of fishermen and the residential environment of residents.
At Gyoam Port, a 'Fishing Village Station' will be created with marine product processing, food experience, and care functions.
In addition to the installation of a Gyoam Beach shoreline, construction of a pedestrian path, and installation of solar power generation facilities, improvements to the fishing gear warehouse at Gyoam Port and the creation of a rest area for fishermen at Munam 2-ri Port are also being promoted.
We plan to operate a fishing village station, social innovation program, and local capacity building project to ensure that the facility can be practically used for residents' lives and fishing activities.
This project is expected to regenerate fishing villages tailored to the characteristics of each region, including modernizing old fishing facilities and improving the fishing environment, linking the fishing industry with tourism and culture, and expanding the livelihood of residents.
Lee Cheol-gyu, a member of the National Assembly (Donghae, Taebaek, Samcheok, Jeongseon), said, "It is meaningful that the Donghae Mukho Port and Samcheok Port were selected together in a situation where it is urgent to provide a new growth engine for fishing villages and ports due to a decrease in catch and changes in industrial structure. We will support the fishing villages of Donghae and Samcheok to be reborn as attractive spaces where the fishing industry and tourism grow together."
National Assembly member Lee Yang-soo (Sokcho, Inje, Goseong, Yangyang) said, “This selection provides an opportunity to supplement the living infrastructure of Munam 2-ri and Gyoam Port in Goseong and improve the fishing environment,” and added, “We will support the creation of facilities that residents need in their daily lives, such as shelters, care spaces, and pedestrian paths.”
Fishing villages in the province have been experiencing the risk of extinction due to a decline in the fishing population and aging facilities.
In order to respond to this crisis, the province presented the direction for the public offering project and operated regular consulting from fishing village and fishing port regeneration experts.
We also put efforts into selecting public offering projects by operating a cooperation system with the political world.
Governor Woo Sang-ho ordered the province to actively respond to the public offering project in a way that simultaneously preserves the fishing village's unique traditions and modernizes facilities.
Mukho Port and Samcheok Port on the East Sea, which were selected as economic leapfrogs, are planned to be created as a base for residential marine tourism and a fishing village economy that links history, culture, and art, respectively.
Goseong Gyoam and Munam 2-ri Ports, which were selected as a fishing village recovery type, will expand the infrastructure necessary for living.
Governor Woo Sang-ho said, "This is a valuable result of the fishing community and city and county administrations working together based on our province's clean marine resources. We will focus our provincial government's capabilities on improving the environment of underdeveloped fishing villages through customized projects that take advantage of regional characteristics and creating vibrant seas and fishing villages where people want to live."
