Korea picks 3 provinces to nurture tourism

The government said Thursday it will foster two regional cities and one county as tourist destinations that can offer industry-related attractions to visitors.

Yeongdo, an industrial district located in the country's southern port city of Busan, will be funded by its metropolitan city government to build a museum, from where visitors will be able to enjoy the cityscape toward the sea, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said in a release.

An old industrial block of vessel repair shops in Yeongdo district of Busan, south of Seoul (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)
The district, with a history of having the first modern shipyard in the country in the 19th century, is known for an old village where locals still run small vessel-repairing businesses.

The government plans to develop tourist programs in the area, through which visitors can explore and experience the life and history embedded in the town, it said.

Such efforts by the government come amid a rapid decline in Chinese tourists, who account for about half of the inbound foreign visitors. Seoul and Beijing are currently locked in a diplomatic standoff over the deployment of a US anti-missile defense battery, known as the THAAD on the Korean peninsula. China has banned the sale of tours to South Korea to highlight its displeasure with the decision.

The ministry also picked the Umseong County in North Chungcheong Province, some 126 kilometers south of the capital, and Changwon, located some 370 kilometers south, as new industrial attractions for visitors.

The two regions have a number of factories run by Korean food and beverages, dairy and furniture companies, and also those owned by big conglomerates like Doosan and LG, who will jointly be working with the government to offer tour programs for tourists, it said.  (Yonhap)