"You Have to Promote Naju to Attract People"... Mayor Yoon Byungtae Becomes the City's No. 1 Promoter

Promoting "Naju" On-site: History, Culture, and Tourism at the Forefront
Attracting the Artificial Sun Research Facility and an Energy Science Center
Aiming for Stay-Type Tourism Ahead of "Visit Naju Year 2026"
Targeting an Era of 5 Million Tourists with the Yeongsan River as Honam’s Lifeline

Yoon Byungtae, Mayor of Naju City, has taken it upon himself to personally promote Naju.

Whenever he attends events or visits sites, he actively introduces the sights, food, and attractions of Naju to citizens, tourists, and external visitors. He highlights the city’s strengths, from its thousand-year history and the Yeongsan River to its energy and agricultural life sciences industries.

Going beyond simply managing municipal affairs, Mayor Yoon has positioned himself as Naju’s "No. 1 promoter," personally advocating for the city's value.

Yoon Byungtae, the mayor of Naju, is actively promoting the 'Millennium Connection Naju Pear' ahead of the Chuseok holiday. Photo captured from Mayor Yoon Byungtae's Facebook page

The motivation behind Mayor Yoon’s personal sales campaign for Naju is his vision of making this year a critical period to announce Naju’s new leap forward.

Naju City has declared this year as the "Visit Naju Year." Through initiatives like overnight stay incentives under the "Naju 1 Night, 2 Gains" project, the city plans to encourage visitors not merely to stop by, but to stay and experience the region.

In his New Year's address, Mayor Yoon set forth a goal to usher in an "Era of 5 Million Tourists" by linking ecology, culture, and tourism centered around the Yeongsan River. This ambition is built on the tourism potential confirmed last year.

Approximately 520,000 people attended the 2025 Naju Yeongsan River Festival. Building on this, the city aims to strengthen the competitiveness of key local festivals, including the Naju Yeongsan River Festival, the Skate Fish and Hanwoo Beef Festival, and the Millennium Naju-mok Eupseong Cultural Festival.

Furthermore, the city is working to create a tourism belt that connects attractions such as Yeongsan River Garden, Southern Volunteer Army History Museum, restoration of Eupseong cultural heritage, Najucheon Ecological Waterway Park, and the Naju Lake Trail, transforming Naju into a stay-type tourism city.

The city will also push forward with projects such as the Nampyeong Small Station Theme Park, Mahan Star Constellation Park, Yeongsan River Panorama Tourist Attraction, cultural regeneration of the old Naju Theater, historical and cultural zone development in Eupseong, and the National Heritage Landscape Improvement Project.

In particular, the Najucheon Ecological Waterway Park, scheduled for completion next year, is being developed as a space where people can walk along the restored ecological stream that runs through the old downtown area, enjoying historical and cultural facilities, in addition to restoring aquatic ecosystems and preventing natural disasters.

Mayor Yoon’s "Naju sales" efforts go beyond tourism.

While Naju's thousand-year history and the Yeongsan River are its traditional assets, the energy and agricultural life sciences industries are pillars that Mayor Yoon is presenting for Naju’s future. The selection of Naju as the final site for a 1.2 trillion won artificial sun (nuclear fusion) research facility has given further weight to his vision of establishing Naju as an "energy capital."

Naju City has signed work agreements with the Ministry of Science and ICT and Jeollanam-do Province, and formed a dedicated task force with Jeollanam-do to support passing the preliminary feasibility study. Concurrently, the city will secure land and build infrastructure by 2028.

The city has also planned to attract related companies to establish a nuclear fusion energy industry ecosystem, ensuring that research outcomes translate into the local industry. Naju aims to serve as a hub for all generations to learn about and experience the energy industry, nurturing future talent in the process.

The National Energy Industrial Complex and the Noan General Industrial Complex will be integrated as core supply bases for next-generation power grids. Plans include designating specialized industrial complexes linked with RE100, advancing the localization and export of next-generation grid advanced equipment, establishing a foundation for the localization of high-power semiconductors, and building the K-Grid Talent and Startup Valley based at KENTECH.

Mayor Yoon also seeks to expand the Naju Global Energy Forum, held for two consecutive years, into an event that addresses global energy transition issues on an international scale.

The agricultural life sciences industry is another axis of "future Naju."

The city plans to build a food industry innovation ecosystem centering on the nation’s first Food Tech Research Support Center, and to expand the foundations for new industries such as food upcycling and development of functional foods.

Currently, Naju is focusing on increasing the value of its leading agricultural and livestock brands, such as "Millennium Connection Naju Pear" and "Naju Dulaechan Hanwoo Beef." It is also strengthening the production base of regional specialty products—including melon, minari, strawberries, mini pumpkins, and chili peppers—working with local agricultural cooperatives.

In this way, the "Naju" promoted by Mayor Yoon in the field is not limited to a single aspect.

His strategy is to showcase both the "city of the past" and the "city of the future," combining Naju’s existing assets of history, culture, the Yeongsan River, and cuisine with new strengths in energy, agricultural life sciences, and tourism.

Yoon Byung-tae, Mayor of Naju City, conducting a special lecture on the Naju edition of Goonmong together with the general public. Screenshot from Mayor Yoon Byung-tae's Facebook page

The government budget secured this year supports such plans. Naju City acquired a record 540.3 billion won in government funding.

The city is also improving residential conditions in the Bitgaram Innovation City. It operates the Bitgaram Complex Cultural and Sports Center and the Bitgaram Dream Center, and will expand infrastructure at Bitgaram Lake Park with indoor and outdoor playgrounds for children and a performance hall.

The area around KTX Naju Station will be developed as a complex economic hub that integrates transportation, commerce, and culture. Additionally, the city plans to develop the second riverside city in Nampyeong, based on the improvement of residential conditions and the revitalization of commercial districts in the existing riverside city.

Policies to attract young people are also expanding. The number of free rental housing units for employed youth will be increased by an additional 15 units, for a total of 150 units. The city will also support youth entrepreneurship spaces, youth vitality income, as well as providing affordable housing for newlyweds and multi-child families.

In the education sector, the city operates programs such as Proud Naju Discovery, Gangnam Open Lecture, Naju Learn, and Nadayong Integrated Science Class via the Naju Future Education Support Center, and will offer International Baccalaureate programs at three elementary, middle, and high schools. The establishment of the KENTECH Energy Gifted Education Center is also being promoted in consultation with related organizations.

Ultimately, Mayor Yoon’s decision to serve as the city’s top promoter is intended to connect Naju’s current assets and future changes with the city's brand. For visitors to Naju, the city will showcase its thousand-year history, the Yeongsan River, food, and culture, while for companies and outsiders seeking future potential, Naju will emphasize its energy and agricultural life sciences industries. With 2026 designated as "Visit Naju Year," the task of attracting and retaining tourists is shaping up to be a vital test for the city’s promotion efforts this year.

Mayor Yoon Byungtae stated, "Naju is a city with unlimited assets, including its thousand-year history, the Yeongsan River, food, culture, energy, and agricultural life sciences. I will let more people know about Naju’s remarkable assets and continue to develop Naju into a city people want to visit and stay in."

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