'Golden Nugget Island Geumdangdo' Selected as a Must-Visit Island by Jeonnam Province

Selected a total of 4 islands including Soando, Saengildo, and Yeoseodo starting from 2015

Wando Geumdang Palgyeong Byeongpung Rock (Photo by Wando-gun)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Kyung-pil] Wando-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Shin Woo-cheol) announced on the 19th that Geumdangdo, known as the "Golden Island," has been finally selected for the 2021 "Island Improvement Project You Want to Visit," a public contest project promoted by Jeollanam-do.

The 2021 "Island Improvement Project You Want to Visit" received applications from 8 islands in 5 cities and counties within Jeonnam Province, with Wando's Geumdangdo and Jindo's Geumho-do being finally selected.

Since last September, evaluation committee members composed of island experts comprehensively assessed the suitability and creativity of the projects, unique island ecological resources, attractive island culture, and residents' willingness to participate through the first document review, second on-site evaluation, and policy evaluation, ultimately selecting Geumdangdo.

Starting next year, Geumdangdo plans to invest a total of 5 billion KRW over five years, with 1 billion KRW annually, to improve village landscapes, restore ecology, develop cultural tourism resources, and discover resident income projects, thereby cultivating distinctive and differentiated content to become the most desirable island to visit. Geumdangdo is home to 538 households and 987 residents.

In particular, the island is a treasure-like place boasting beautiful natural scenery, including the eight scenic spots of Geumdang formed by mysterious rock formations washed by waves and wind and stunning coastal cliffs, as well as the Sepo Observatory, Ongeumpo Beach, and the coastal loop road.

Notably, it is meaningful that the historical and cultural resource project plan reflects "Geumdangbyeolgok," a marine travel lyric literature written by Wi Se-jik, a scholar who studied under Song Si-yeol during the late Joseon Dynasty, with Geumdangdo as its backdrop.

The county plans to develop storytelling based on the contents of Geumdangbyeolgok and turn it into a historical and cultural tourism resource.

Shin Woo-cheol, Governor of Wando-gun, said, "To systematically and successfully promote the Island Improvement Project You Want to Visit for Geumdangdo, we will fully collect residents' opinions and prepare various contents to transform the treasure-like Golden Island Geumdangdo, which has been little known until now, into an island where people want to live long and definitely visit."

So far, a total of 18 islands have been selected for Jeonnam Province's Island Improvement Project You Want to Visit, and Wando-gun has had four islands selected: Soando in 2015, Saengildo in 2016, Yeoseodo in 2018, and Geumdangdo in 2021.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.