The coastal revitalization project for Haegeumgang and Icheon ports in Busan has received government approval, with an investment of 10 billion won (approximately $10 million).
This initiative aims to integrate the two ports and surrounding villages into a single living area, improving fishing facilities and the living environment for residents. As the government seeks to address issues related to the management of existing coastal revitalization projects, the operational methods for the newly established facilities have become a key focus.
According to public documents from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and Gijang-gun, the Haegeumgang and Icheon living area has been included among 35 sites selected for the '2027 Coastal New Deal 3.0' recovery project. The project will span four years, from 2027 to 2030, with a total investment of 10 billion won, comprising 7 billion won from the national government, 900 million won from Busan City, and 2.1 billion won from the county.
A total of 71 regions from 11 cities and provinces across the country applied for this initiative. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries received applications from April to May and selected 40 sites after evaluations by experts in fisheries, coastal areas, private investment, and regional development. Approximately 56% of the applicants were chosen.
In Busan, the Haegeumgang and Icheon living area and the Haeundae Mipo and Songjeong living area were both selected. Busan City plans to invest a total of 19.922 billion won, including 13.9 billion won from the national government. The 10 billion won allocated for Gijang-gun is included in this total.
The Gijang-gun project focuses on enhancing the fishing functions of Haegeumgang and Icheon ports and improving living conditions in the surrounding villages.
At Haegeumgang port, facilities for storing fishing gear and shared workspaces will be improved, along with enhancements to the surrounding environment. Icheon port will also see upgrades to its facilities and living conditions to support necessary infrastructure for fishing activities.
A 'Coastal Station' will be established to promote community activities and enhance living services. The project will include programs for strengthening community capacity and revitalizing local engagement.
The policy direction for the coastal recovery project proposed by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries emphasizes expanding living services through the use of coastal stations and community facilities. This includes providing care, health management, and cultural and welfare services, with plans to extend service coverage to nearby villages. However, the specific types of services and the scale and location of facilities to be implemented in the Haegeumgang and Icheon living area have yet to be finalized. Gijang-gun plans to determine detailed projects through resident feedback and expert consultations during the basic planning process in 2027.
This project aligns with the government's restructuring of coastal revitalization policies.
On June 6, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries released a plan for restructuring and enhancing the Coastal New Deal 3.0 project, noting that previous initiatives focused primarily on site selection and facility establishment, while the management systems for ongoing operations post-completion were inadequate.
As a result, the ministry has decided to strengthen oversight throughout the entire process, from project selection to implementation and post-completion management. The utilization performance of completed facilities will be factored into evaluations, and a system for ongoing monitoring of facility operations will be established. This includes phased measures for facilities that are not actively used and improvements to criteria for changing their purposes.
The government also proposed expanding the types of projects from two to four. New categories include Coastal Recovery Type II, which utilizes existing facilities, and Coastal Safety Type, which focuses on disaster response.
The restructuring of project frameworks and the review of site selection and basic planning will be applied starting with the 2028 application process. Amendments related to implementation and post-management will also be applied to currently ongoing projects. Specific criteria will be established in revised implementation guidelines by the end of this year.
During the application preparation process, Gijang-gun formed an administrative council led by the deputy governor and a local consultative body to incorporate resident feedback into the project plan. The next steps will involve obtaining approval for the basic plan from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and establishing an implementation plan.
Gijang-gun's coastal revitalization project has expanded from the 100 billion won Mun-dong living area revitalization project selected in 2023 to include the Haegeumgang and Icheon living area. The Mun-dong project is also being pursued with a budget of 10 billion won.
The specific management and maintenance methods for the newly established facilities will need to be clarified in the upcoming basic plan. Ensuring that the operational framework allows residents to effectively utilize the facilities post-completion is becoming increasingly important.
Woo Seong-bin, the head of Gijang-gun, stated, "The selection of this Coastal New Deal 3.0 project is a valuable outcome of the united efforts of the Haegeumgang and Icheon residents, fishing communities, and administration. We will develop Haegeumgang and Icheon ports into coastal areas where both fishermen and residents want to live, transforming them into new vibrant hubs along the Gijang coast."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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