Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and five local governments, Korea Railroad Corporation, to activate 'Namdo Train Loop Road'

*This content was translated by AI.

Tourism is now in the era of local regions. Seoul and the metropolitan area are well-known tourist destinations not only to Koreans but also to foreigners, but there are many places in local regions with their own unique charms to explore.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister Choi Hwi-young, hereinafter Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Jinju on May 14 (Thursday) with five local governments in the southern region (Busan, Gwangju, and Ulsan Metropolitan Cities, Jeollanam-do, and Gyeongsangnam-do) and Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail) to activate the 'Namdo Train Loop Road' project. Through this, the ministry aims to revitalize regional tourism development projects, develop unique tourism content, and promote the growth of regional tourism.

This will provide more opportunities to experience the attractive inner layers of local regions. It could be even more welcome news for foreigners as well as Koreans.

Under this agreement, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will focus on providing expert consulting and mediating interests among institutional investors. The five local governments in the southern region will promote the integrated development of regional tourism resources, activate tourism using public transportation such as railways, expand tourism exchanges between regions, and jointly promote regional tourism resources. Korail is expected to cooperate in securing seats and offering fare discounts.

Operation of 'Southern Regional Tourism Coordination Council' to promote tourism development projects in the southern region

In addition, the five local governments will establish and operate a coordination council to efficiently promote tourism development projects in the southern region. While strategic projects tailored to each region will be pursued separately, joint projects such as the development of regional tourism routes in the southern region will be carried out together. To efficiently implement joint projects, dedicated institutional investors (local governments) will be designated for each project, and quarterly progress will be reviewed to identify and address any potential issues.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is supporting the creation of a cultural and arts-centered tourist zone (southwestern region), wellness-focused tourism projects (south-central region), and marine culture and leisure-focused tourism projects (southeastern region) with a budget of 141.5 billion won for 2026 to create a travel environment that encourages visitors to stay one more day in the southern region. In particular, in April, the ministry, in collaboration with the five local governments and Korail, planned a program offering discounts of up to 35% on four one-night, two-day tour packages that start from Busan, Mokpo, and Gwangju respectively and visit southern region Ji Yeok-ui (CEO) tourist attractions such as Haenam, Jangheung, Jinju, and Hadong.

Kang Dong-jin, Director of Tourism Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, "The signing of this agreement and the operation of the coordination council aim to promote tourism development projects in the southern region more densely and cohesively." He added, "In the future, we will continue to support efforts to connect railway routes across the country with regional tourism resources, thereby dispersing tourism demand concentrated in the metropolitan area to regions experiencing population decline."

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*This content was translated by AI.