Ganghwa County All Out to Secure Additional Selection for 'Fishing Village New Deal 300'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Ganghwa County announced on the 30th that it is making efforts to secure additional selection of fishing villages and ports within the county as project sites for the 'Fishing Village New Deal 300' initiative.

The Fishing Village New Deal project is a key initiative of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries that invests approximately 3 trillion won across 300 fishing villages and ports nationwide to modernize essential infrastructure in fishing villages such as deteriorated landing facilities and promote region-specific development.

By this year, 210 locations have been selected, and for 2021 projects, an additional 60 project sites will be selected in December following written and on-site evaluations by the end of November.

The county secured 8.7 billion won in project funds when Hupo Port was selected in 2019, and in 2020, Hwangsan Island Port and Changhoo Port were selected, securing an additional 16.5 billion won in project funds.

Additionally, for 2021, the county has applied for Hari Port, Choji Port, Janggot Port, and Acha Island Port and plans to make an all-out push for their selection.

The county will actively reflect the opinions of fishing village residents to establish high-level plans encompassing fishing, tourism, design, and urban planning, preparing for written evaluations. It also plans to organize a cooperative body with the participation of village residents to prepare for on-site evaluations with sustainable and competitive projects.

County Governor Yu Cheon-ho stated, "The ports and harbors of Ganghwa County have been very underdeveloped and neglected despite being adjacent to abundant fish resources in the Han River estuary," and added, "We will spare no effort in providing comprehensive support to ensure that as many areas as possible are selected to revitalize fishing villages by strengthening living conditions in underdeveloped fishing communities."

Meanwhile, Hupo Port, which was selected last year, achieved a 65 percent completion rate despite the difficulties of COVID-19.

Additionally, Changhoo Port and Hwangsan Island Port, selected in 2020, have separately divided basic plans and implementation plans after the legal promotion system for the Fishing Village New Deal 300 project was finalized by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in February.