“Namhae-gun County doesn’t look that fancy or that big, but there are simple and priceless things here to enjoy,” said Mayor Park Young-il of Namhae-gun County in Gyeongsangnam-do (South Gyeongsang Province).

The mayor is a native of Namhae, as he was born here and has lived here all his life. Rounding out his career, Park taught at his alma maters: Namhae High School and Haesung Middle School. From 2006 until 2014, he served as a director of the Namhae-gun Suhyup, a federation of fishery cooperatives, working on local development. Last year, he took on a new job: to govern his lifetime home.

The mayor, who proudly says that no one knows more about Namhae than he does, calls the region a treasure trove. “Namhae, where you can see the blue ocean on all sides, once had the ancient name of hwajeon (화전, 花田), meaning, 'a flower plantation.' It got the name because when spring arrives, all the mountains here start to be covered with beautiful flowers,” Park said.

“To make your Namhae trip easier and more enjoyable, we are now working to construct the so-called ‘800-li Path Around our Treasured Island,’ a path stretching along the coastline of Namhae-do Island,” he added. A li (리, 里) is a traditional unit of measure equal to about 393 meters.

He also said that, “The sea comes across most people’s minds when they hear the name of Namhae. Yes. This county offers a variety of festivals that focus on our magnificent vistas and natural resources, including the clear ocean, such as the Bomulseom Mijo Anchovy Festival, the Oktoberfest beer festival in the German Village and the Admiral Yi Sun-sin Festival.”



Korea.net recently sat down with Park to hear more about Namhae-gun County.

- As mayor of this beautiful town, we’d like to hear from you about some of the charms that Namhae-gun County has.

Kim Gu (김구, 金絿) (1488-1534), a lauded calligrapher who went by the penname of Jaam (자암, 自庵), mentioned Namhae in the "Hwajeonbyulgok" (화전별곡, 花田別曲), a collection of songs that he wrote while in exile here. In one of the songs, he described the region as a, “small dot on the vast ocean and an island where people live carefree lives" (一點仙島).

It is not too much to say that the whole area of Namhae-gun County can be a tourist attraction because it offers a picturesque view of nature mingled with the surrounding waters, and nearby 79 rocks and islets, both small and large. The whole area is overflowing with tourist attractions. In addition, the region is smack dab in the middle of Hallyeohaesang, the national marine park that extends from Geojedo Island in Gyeongsangnam-do (South Gyeongsang Province) through to Yeosu in Jeollanam-do (South Jeolla Province).

As a mayor and, also as a citizen of Namhae-gun County, I feel grateful and proud to live in this beautiful place and to work with the people here to keep it developing.

- Tell us what kind of plans you have for the county's next 30 years and how you expect to push your plans forward.

The next 30 years in Namhae-gun County will focus on a wide range of sectors covering the local economy, agriculture, fisheries, tourism and welfare. First and foremost, however, the core will be the local economy.

I believe it’s crucial to solidify the foundation of our agricultural and fishing industries which play a critical role in Namhae's local economy. These efforts will definitely lead to increasing the overall income of all Namhae citizens. On top of that, we will focus our efforts on revitalizing the tourism industry, blending the agricultural and fishing industries with tourism, and securing other sectors as new engines of growth.

Among others, one key project is to create the “800-li Path Around our Treasured Island,” a development that would merge the agricultural fishing industries with the tourism industry. As well as constructing the path, which would stretch about 314 kilometers along the coastline, we will build an observatory at some major tourist spots, and will also allow locals to operate stores that sell agricultural, marine and livestock goods, processed goods, local specialties and other foods. That will help boost people's income.

Most importantly, as part of efforts to find new engines of growth, we will strive to complete the ongoing project of constructing a renewable energy industrial complex as soon as possible. This complex will focus on integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) technology. We will then work to attract potential manufacturing businesses to the complex.

－ We know that Namhae-gun County is actively engaged in developing green industries, as can be seen with the IGCC project. Are you looking for any foreign direct investment?

Yes. We are actively looking for foreign direct investment for the sake of sustainably developing our green industries. We pushed for the IGCC project with the help of POSCO, a steel firm, which has signed an MOU with the county. IGCC plants have zero tolerance for any hot waste water, a factor that destroys marine ecosystems, and help to reduce air pollutants by up to 87 percent. We are also pushing forward with a project to produce electricity by making use of waste resources through plasma gasification.

IGCC plants and plasma gasification are both state-of-the-art technologies used in only a few spots worldwide. Having both industries in place here will help us attain knowhow about the required technologies to construct related processing plants and managing them, as well as draw in possible foreign direct investment.

－Namhae-gun County is also actively cooperating with other locales, including Fencheng, a city in Jiangxi Province in mainland China. What do you concentrate on in terms of international cooperation?

What’s more important in terms of cooperation with local governments overseas is that we should continue a long-lasting, deep and sound relationship with them. In particular, recognizing historical facts and building a consensus about each other’s different traditions gives off a good impression and convinces other cities of the need for amicable exchanges with us.

Our cooperation with the city of Fencheng is on a par with such efforts. Gwaneumpo Harbor, at the northern edge of Namhaedo Island, is where both Admiral Yi Sun-sin (1545-1598) and General Deng Zilong (鄧子龍) (1531-1598) from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) died. For that reason, having friendly ties with Fencheng, a city where the general was born and was laid to rest, is based on the historical and cultural consensus between our city and that city.

Likewise, Namhae is home to many more historical items that are connected with regional history, including a monument dedicated to the Ming Dynasty’s victory in Korea. The inscription, “Seobulgwacha"(徐市過此), was carved into rock by Seobul, a servant who came to Korea to seek herbs that would grant eternal youth to Qin Shi Huang (260-210 B.C.), the founder of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C.), one of the first unified Chinese states. More broadly, we are also home to Korea's so-called "German Village," a town that was settled by people who were dispatched to Germany during the 1960s and 1970s to work as nurses or miners.



－What are your plans for the tourist industry and for local arts and traditions?

That would be the construction of the “800-li Path Around our Treasured Island.” The project is a sightseeing route that allows visitors to tour the county on foot, by bicycle or by car. With this, we hope to make the county not just a place where you stop, spend some time and leave, but a true destination, where you can enjoy a really laid-back way of life and enjoy a longer stay here.

－ If you had to recommend any must-eat dishes, or any local products, or any must-visit sites, to visitors to the county, especially non-Korean visitors, what would they be?

Often called a, “treasure island,” Namhae-gun County retains quite a number of tourist sites, not to mention its striking natural beauty. I recommend Geumsan Mountain and Boriam Temple on top of it, the German Village and Namhae Darengyi Village.

Geumsan Mountain and Boriam Temple are where Taejo (r. 1392-1398), the first king of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), stayed and prayed for the foundation of a new dynasty, before he became ruler. The mega-hit “Ode to My Father” (2014) and the soap opera “Couple of Fantasy” were both filmed in the German Village. The village also hosts an annual beer festival which has been selected as the Best Festival in Gyeongsangnam-do for two consecutive years. Also, CNN chose Namhae Darengyi Village as a must-visit spot in Korea a few years ago.

To name some of our local specialties, there's garlic, spinach and yuju. For travelling gourmets, I’d like to recommend the cubed snailfish soup and anchovy ssambap, a dish where wrapped rice and seasoned anchovies are eaten with lettuce leaves. You can enjoy raw anchovies, too.

－ If you had to choose one spot in the county that's very dear to your heart, where would it be?

There’s a place called Seolly in the southern part of the county. The view looking out from it is amazing. If a couple were to visit there, they would see a view unfolding in front of them. They would be speechless, hand-in-hand. No one would need to say a word. That would be enough.

Seolly Beach, in particular, is great for tourists from both home and abroad. Recently, a group of 200-300 tourists came to the beach to hold their own party, giving us a really interesting sight.

－ Do you have any final words for tourists, especially from other countries, who plan to visit Namhae-gun County?

Namhae is a treasure trove that boasts a magnificent landscape cast against the clear southern waters of Korea, and it has a well-developed tourism infrastructure. I invite you to Namhae. You can find hidden spots of interest at every step, and you will soon find yourself surrounded by the eye-popping view of nature.

By Jeon Han, Sohn JiAe
Photos: Jeon Han
Korea.net Staff Writers
hanjeon@korea.kr