Jeollanamdo Vice Gov. Woo Ki-jong. (Photos: Jeollanamdo Provincial Govt.) 

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"Jeollanamdo, celebrating the millennium of naming Jeollado this year, aims to top the 50 million tourist milestone by jointly promoting the “2018 Visit Jeollado Year” with Gwangju and Jeollabukdo ,” Jeollanamdo Vice Gov. Woo Ki-jong said. 

To this end, the province is poised to establish itself as one of Korea’s representative tourist destinations by pitching for Jeollado’s 100 tourist hot spots in Korea and abroad, he said. 

Jeollanamdo will host the Jeonnam International Ink Art Biennale in Mokpo and parts of Jindo from September through October with the goal of spreading the values and spirit of traditional Korean ink art and nurture the ink art as a next-generation hallyu (Korean Wave) asset. 

The following are excerpts of an interview between NewsWorld and Jeollanamdo Vice Gov. Woo in which he spoke of his provincial government’s ambition to attract 50 million tourists and projects to promote the province’s tourist spots, tourist products and resources on the occasion of the Visit Jeollado Year.  

A poster of the 2018 Visit Jeollado Year.

Question: Would you tell our readers about your provincial government’s ambition to usher in an era of attracting 50 million tourists on the occasion of the millennium of naming Jeollado?

Answer: The number of tourists visiting Jeollanamdo annually has surpassed the 40 million milestone since 2016. The province ranked 2nd in terms of agreeableness and 3rd in terms of overall satisfaction according to assessments of the preference of tourist sites by specialized organizations. 

The positive reception of the province is an indication that Jeollanamdo has emerged as an attractive province thanks to improved access by expanded transportation networks, including KTX and SRT high-speed railways, and a seamless execution of projects to cultivate islets and woods.

Jeollanamdo had suffered difficulties in attracting tourists since the province, located far from the Seoul metropolitan area, had insufficient infrastructure. But the hosting of Expo 2012 Yeosu served as a turning point in invigorating the tourism industry as a vast 12 trillion won was poured for SOC investments in the eastern sphere of the province with a focus on Yeosu.

The tourism industry in the western sphere with a focus on Mokpo is expected to get a boost. The opening of the New Millennium Grand Bridge and Heuksan Airport will likely have spill-over effects to the aviation tourism, coastal cruise, and other related industries.  

In particular, Jeollanamdo, celebrating the millennium of the naming of Jeollado this year, aims to top the 50 million tourist milestone by jointly managing the “2018 Visit Jeollado Year” with Gwangju and Jeollabukdo . 

To this end, the province is poised to establish itself as one of Korea’s representative tourist destinations by pitching Jeollado’s 100 tourist spots in Korea and abroad. On top of busking performances taking place in the Seoul metropolitan area and major cities, culture/art programs and performances to publicize Jeollado’s hidden tourist jewels get under way all the year. 

We’ll see each sphere of the province blossom with unique tourist resources and sufficient tourist infrastructure in place. The eastern sphere, with a booming tourism industry, will push for the installation of coastal tourism and leisure facilities in earnest to develop it into a tourist hub of the South Coast. The central sphere, bordering with Gwangju, will be made into a well-being/recreation/experience tourism belt. 

The western sphere with improved transportation access will be turned into a marine/islet tourism mecca. 

Besides, we have Jeollanamdo’s specialized tourist products, including “Sky Tour,” an aerial tour course to explore islets, and “Namdo One Round,” a circulating bus tour and offer quality services to make tourists enjoy a comfortable tour. 

A poster of the 2018 Visit Jeollado Year.

Q: Would you elaborate on your provincial government’s activities to promote the “2018 Visit Jeollado Year” during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics?

A: Gwangju, Jeollanamdo and Jeollabukdo  have joined forces in promoting the “2018 Visit Jeollado Year” at Olympic Park and Festival Park in Gangneung on Feb. 11 during the Olympiad. 

“Jeollado Art & Busking,” a performance program to publicize the Jeolla provinces, targeting Olympic spectators, took place at the Korea House in the Olympic Park, the venue of the Olympic Games. Inside, fusion traditional music, B-boying and other performances took place along with quiz and lottery events, and diverse activities, including mimes and SNS certification events, which were held outside, received a good reception from Olympic spectators. 

A tourism public relations pavilion was set up at Festival Park near Gangneung Station to publicize springtime tourist spots of Jeollanamdo and a selection of 100 tourist jewels of the Jeolla provinces. 

A view of Jindo Miracle Sea Road.The Jindo Miracle Sea Road Festival will take place from May 16 through May 19.

Q: Would you explain your provincial government’s tourism plans for Spring Tourism Week, your major tourist spots and Jeollado's 100 representative tourist gems?

A: Of late, the tourism paradigm is shifting away from visiting on weekends or holidays to making visits any time. The 2018 Spring Tourism Week, under the concept “All Days to Korea,” will bring diverse programs across the nation between April 28 and May 13. Jeollanamdo has come up with “Romantic Cinema Namdo One Round,” as one of the province’s representative programs being offered during the Spring Tourism Week. 

The program helps tourists explore the Seosan-dong area in Mokpo, the main location of “1987: When the Day Comes,” a recent hit movie, and the Suncheon drama set of the hit TV miniseries “Dae Jang Geum” (Jewel in the Palace), and Uldolmok, the location of “Roaring Currents,” an epic film depicting a 16th century naval victories against Japanese invaders. We plan to focus on attracting tourists by offering spring festivals to fascinate tourists with a spring aura, ‘Namdo Foods,’ and regionally specialized storytelling programs enriched with Jeollanamdo tastes and folklores. 

In particular, a special program to tour Jeollanamdo during the tourism week will enable tourists to explore the province at ease, and about 150 tourism-related establishments, including restaurants and accommodations facilities will offer discounts to tourists, contributing to saving their travel expenses. 

A plum blossom village in Gwangyang and a Cornelian cherry village in Gurye are tourist magnets during springtime. The flowering of the Gwangyang village heralds the first arrival of spring, while Seomjingang  River is bedecked with the white plum blossom. The Gurye village boasts the nation’s biggest Korean cornelian cherry colony, one of Jeollanamdo’s breathtaking landscapes. 

“Haenam Dalmagodo.” an ancient trekking trail, connects Dalmasan Mountain and Miwhangsa Temple. Looking over fascinating coastal landscape of Dadohae Sea, tourists are given the chance to experience a healing of their mind. 

The “Namdo One Round” tourist program is recommended for cost-conscious tourists who can sense the feeling of spring by touring several parts of Jeollanamdo at ease. Circulating buses take tourists to the province’s historical sites, tourist gems and best eateries. The province also offers coastal tourist products using islets, night tours, yachting and cafe tours targeting youth. There is also a tour connecting Jeollabukdo  on the occasion of the 2018 Visit Jeollado Year. 

Among a selection of Jeollado’s 100 top tourist spots 15 are in Gwnagju, 37 in Jeollabukdo  and 48 spots in Jeollanamdo. 

They include historical sites, culture, ecological and healing places. Jeollabukdo  boasts such historical education destinations as the hanok (traditional Korean house) village in Jeonju, and Dolmen Park in Gochang. 

Gwangju, dubbed a “city of art,” has Asia Cultural Center, the Uijae Museum of Korean Art, and the Art Street in Daein-dong. Jeollanamdo showcases healing and recreation themed products including Gaudo Island in Gangjin, Yeonhongdo Island in Goheung, Gwanmaedo Island in Jindo, Jangheung Wood Land, and the scenic Baeksu Coastal Road in Yeonggwang. 

Stamp tours, tourist products and busking performances are part of the 2018 Visit Jeollado Year. 

A view of the Rose Festival at the Gokseong Train Village. The Gokseong International Rose Festival will take place from May 18 through May 27.

Q: Would you introduce major projects to promote the 2018 Visit Jeollado Year?

A: The year 2018 is a significant year marking the millennium of the merging of Gangnamdo and Haeyangdo provinces, and the renaming of Jeollado. 

The name Jeollado comes from the initials of Jeonju and Naju, which were the biggest cities of the provinces in 1018 ― the ninth reign of King Hyeonjong of Goryeo Dynasty. Jeollado boasts not only the longest geological place in Korea but it is also a region of time-honored vestiges in all areas without big changes. 

The Jeollado Millennium Memorial Project is a joint program designed to remind Gwangju, Jeollanamdo and Jeollabukdo  of the fact that they have remained as one for 1,000 years and they need to usher in an era of a new millennium of Jeollado by mustering co-prosperity and harmony. 

Jeollanamdo has spearheaded such representative projects as “Jeollado Thousand-Year Tree-lined Road” and “One Thousand Year Garden” designed to make them as assets of the next millennium. 

The three city and provincial governments, designating the year 2018 as the Visit Jeollado Year to utilize assets of 1,000 years, have been joining forces in attracting tourists. As to major projects to promote the Visit Jeollado Year, starting with a ceremony to proclaim the Visit Jeollado Year in Seoul last November, the three city and provincial governments have been accelerating nationwide publicity activities in such places as Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Daejeon, and Gangwondo. 

We conduct activities to publicize the Visit Jeollado Year via media outlets, including terrestrial TV and radio networks, as well as websites and social network services.

Starting April, a stamp tour project will be launched to encourage tourists to tour a selection of 100 Jeollado tourist spots. Diverse Jeollado tourist items, including “Jeollado Brand Tourist Products,” will be released. Starting in May, youth culture expedition teams will be inaugurated to promote Jeollado among Korean and foreign youth. The Honam Sphere International Conference will take place in October in which Korean and foreign prominent scholars will get together to explore how to make preparations for the next millennium beyond the past 1,000 years. 

Visitors to Hampyeong in spring are given the chance to get a closer look at ecology, particularly the region’s butterflies. The Hampyeong Butterfly Festival will take place from April 27 through May 7.

Q: Will you introduce the Jeonnam International Ink Art Biennale slated for September?

A: Jeollanamdo will host the Jeonnam International Ink Art Biennale in Mokpo and parts of Jindo from September through October with the goal of spreading the values and spirit of traditional Korean ink art and nurture the ink art as a next-generation hallyu (Korean Wave) asset. 

The biennale, to be held under the theme Ink Art of Today, Questions Yesterday and Replies Tomorrow, will display about 300 works of prominent painters from about 10 countries, including China, Japan, France and the United States. On top of the exhibition, there will are an international academic conference with Korean and foreign ink art painters, exhibition planners and critics in their attendance, and an international residency program in which Korean and foreign painters can reside in idle facilities and draw works. The Jeonnam International Ink Art Biennale is Korea’s first biennale to be held under the major theme of traditional art.

The whole of Mokpo, being connected with Jindo, will be realized into an open space of exhibition festival with the goal of publicizing Jeollanamdo’s art charm in Korea and abroad and nurturing the ink artpainting as a global cultural asset.