Hongseong-gun is in the Chungcheong tourism region, which is one of the 5 major tourism regions in the country, and also belongs to Taean coastal region, one of 24 small spheres of development. It is currently under development to attract visitors seeking recreation activities and vacationers. It is famous for its lakeshore, history, and cultural tourist sites.
The west coast of Chungcheongnam-do Province contains a number of marine tourist attractions, hot springs and historic sites. Therefore, once the plan for the development of the Seohaean Expressway and the coastal highway network for the purpose of boosting tourism, the number of tourists to Hongseong is expected to rise dramatically.
As Hongseong is expected to have improved access to the national capital area after the construction of the Seohaean Expressway is complete, it is currently promoting chemical-free and scientific farming practices and the cultivation of specialized products. The local pork industry was designated as a specialized stockbreeding industry of Hongseong-gun and a pilot stockbreeding complex was established. Also, the salted shrimp of Gwangcheon, which is widely known for its excellence, is expected to be developed as a specialty product further n the future.
In preparation of the completion of the Seohaean Expressway construction, a road repair and construction project has been planned in consideration of the tourist sites and specialized complexes of Hongseong.
After the construction of the Seohaean Expressway was completed in 2004, the popular driving route among tourists has changed from Hongseng IC to the breakwater in the A and B zones to the National Taean Coast Park and the Anmyeondo International Tourist Complex. It is expected that Gung-ri will stand out as an important transportation and tourism hub in the entire Hongseong-gun region. Accordingly, a service station and rest area have been provided to travelers making a stop and a plan was made to support all the tourist attractions in Hongseong-gun. The plan is to preserve the natural environment such as the coastal area and water systems and to introduce public amenities, seafood centers, restaurants and shops, and rest areas. Also, commercial facilities were to be built centering on the interior coastal region.
This area is in the Chungcheong tourism region, which is one of the 5 major tourism regions in the country, and also belongs to Taean coastal region, one of 24 small spheres of development. It is currently under development to attract visitors seeking recreation activities and vacationers. It is famous for its lakeshore, history, and cultural tourist sites. The west coast of Chungcheongnam-do Province contains a number of marine tourist attractions, hot springs and historic sites. Therefore, once the plan for the development of the Seohaean Expressway and the coastal highway network for the purpose of boosting tourism, the number of tourists to Hongseong is expected to rise dramatically..
This is an area with the potential to create a poewrful economic impact, together with the tourist site construction project in the Namdang area. It will form a west coast tourism axis, linking the Seosan A, B and promotional zones, including Anmyeondo Island, and Daecheon. The project aims to support and expand the existing tourist sites by inducing development for the region to transform into a coastal vacation spot.
Located next to the Cheonsuman Bay in the west coast, the Namdang area is expected to attract more tourists as it gains improved access to and from the national capital area. It is surrounded by splendid naturla environment and has high development potential as a result of the development of the northwest industrial belt in Godae, Seokmun, and Asan. This is the only place in Hongseong-gun that borders on the west coast. Therefore, the development project will involve the creation of static spaces (walking trail, observation platform, green fields along the roads, etc.) where people can enjoy the ocean view, and sealine. This plan has been approved and the area is currently being developed into class 1 port.
This project is expected to improve productivity by turning small-scale stockbreeding houses into a collective and more large-scale facilities to raise special local livestock. It will also increase the efficiency of operation based on advanced stockbreeding technology and systematic management practices. Also, to cope with the manure generated from the small-scale stockbreeding houses and to protect the environment, a treatment plant that can process large amounts of manure will be built. At the pilot stockbreeding complex, stockbreeding and assistance activities will be performed. The facilities for stockbreeding will be cattle shed, pigsty, storage, etc., while a management office, parking lot, and waste treatment plant will be constructed for assistance activities.The size of the complex will be big enough to raise as many as 25,400 pigs particularly for the pig-raising houses in Gwangcheon-eup and Eunha-myeon.
Hongseong has a higher degree of localization of stockbreeding, compared to other regions in the country. With the most abundant resources for the stockbreeding industry, it has established a systematic distribution system that can handle production, slaughtering, processing, and stock farming to improve productivity and quality, centering on the livestock processing complex (LPC). Hongseong provides fresh chilled meat to consumers through chain stores and directly managed shops in major cities including Seoul, and it is also expected to emerge as a leading chilled meat exporter. The daily handling capacity of the LPC is 100 cows and 1,500 pigs. With the operation of slaughtering and processing facilities that meet the standards of advanced countries, the LPC ensures improved sanitation and safety. This enables Hongseong to directly export the local livestock products to anywhere around the world.
The aim of the project is to specialize the salted fish complexes located in Eungam-ri, Gwangcheon-eup, Hongseong-gun and systematize the aging and sales/marketing processes to raise the value of salted fish as a local specialty product. In addition, the basic infrastructures and amenities such as the parking lot, roads and plazas will be newly constructed so as to improve accessibility for visitors. Visitors will also be given a chance to see and learn about the production process first-hand.
For the purpose of increasing non-agricultural income for farmers and prevent overcrowding in metropolitan cities, industrial development is being promoted in the farming regions and the industries based in metropolitan cities are being relocated to the rural areas. These efforts are expected to create jobs for the unemployed people in the rural areas and low-income farmers. In addition, in an attempt to find income sources other than agriculture, the plan was to build an agricultural-industrial complex and to maintain the facilities economically as a way of increasing the utility of the limited land space and the national roads.
A production complex for a local specialty product will be established and operated by efficiently using the natural resources of the rural area, thereby promoting local development. The existing role of the pottery village will be further reinforced, and various tourism products (incl. reenactment of the pottery making processes) will be induced. Unique experience programs involving visitor participation will be offered, and the pottery industry will be collectivized so as to promote technical development and sales. In the complex, an exhibition hall, pottery classroom, and traditional game areas, etc. as well as production and sales facilities will be established. Furthermore, various events will be held to attract consumers and tourists.
A coastal tourism road connecting the coastal tourist sites of Hongseong is under construction with the aim to strengthen the ties among the development projects within the development zone of the area (Gung-ri, Eosa and Namdang areas), and a cyclic road network for inland tourism will be constructed. With the opening of the Hongseong IC and Gwangcheon IC of the Seohaean Expressway, access to and from the national capital area will be improved (the trip takes less than 2 hours). Also, efforts are being made to promote the development of industrial sites and tourist routes. The ultimate purpose of the infrastructure maintenance project is to stimulate the local economy and induce local development, and investment into local development was chosen as the most effective measure to meet the objective.