New living-convenience, cultural and welfare facilities, including stay-type tourism hubs utilizing local assets, will be newly built in Andong, Cheongsong and Goryeong in North Gyeongsang Province.
Cheongsong will see the creation of a Kkotsaem Garden and a Kkotsaem theme street crossing Yaksu (mineral spring) Village, while Goryeong will host an Eoullim Center featuring unique lodging facilities. Andong will regenerate an abandoned rail bridge to connect a severed neighborhood and create a rest area.
According to the North Gyeongsang provincial government on the 25th, the projects are being pursued after three projects in Andong, Cheongsong and Goryeong were selected in the "Regional Demand-Tailored Support Program" organized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT).
For the program, Gyeongbuk achieved the distinction of "most in the nation" for the second consecutive year, with three cities and counties selected this time following the selection of five last year.
"By encouraging each city and county to develop project ideas in line with the competition schedule, and based on that, raising the feasibility and viability of the projects through on-site consulting by MOLIT and relevant expert agencies, we achieved good results," a provincial official said.
The Regional Demand-Tailored Support Program targets 70 growth-promotion cities and counties nationwide and is conducted as a bottom-up competition in which local governments directly develop and apply for projects.
Each project receives up to 3 billion won in national funding to build living-convenience, cultural and welfare facilities closely tied to residents' daily lives.
In Cheongsong, a stay-type tourism hub linked to local assets such as yaksu baeksuk (mineral spring chicken soup), flower stones and the Yasong Art Museum will be created in the Sinchon-ri area of Jinbo-myeon.
With 3.5 billion won invested, a Yaksu Playground and Kkotsaem Garden will be created on a 11,463-square-meter project site, along with a Kkotsaem theme street crossing Yaksu Village.
Linked to the nearby Dongcheongsong-Yeongyang IC, the project is expected to expand tourist inflow and increase length of stay.
In Goryeong, 5.9 billion won will be invested in Daegaya-eup to build an Eoullim Center featuring a 20-room unique lodging facility, a convention hall and a workation space.
A tour bus connecting unique leisure sports programs and major tourist sites will also be operated to attract a living population and stimulate the local economy.
In Andong, a remodeling project for the long-neglected, abandoned Andong Rail Bridge will be pursued.
The project, which was evaluated as improving fiscal efficiency by utilizing idle assets, will receive 5 billion won in funding from next year.
By creating a pedestrian space and rest area connecting the neighborhoods severed along the north-south axis, it is expected to increase tourists' length of stay.
"We will swiftly push forward the selected projects and, in cooperation with cities and counties, continue to develop additional projects suited to local conditions so that regions can grow evenly," said Park Jong-tae, director general of the Construction and Urban Affairs Bureau of North Gyeongsang Province.
