Hwaseong Goonon Port Reborn as 'Village of Peace'

[Suwon Ilbo=Kim Gapdong] Hwaseong Goonon Port, located within the Maehyang-ri Firing Range where the sounds of aircraft bombing were once constant, has been reborn as a village of peace.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 29th that it will hold a completion ceremony on the 30th for the Hwaseong 'Goonon Port Fishing Village New Deal Project,' the fourth fruit of the Fishing Village New Deal 300 project.

The Hwaseong Goonon Port Fishing Village New Deal Project invested 9.3 billion won in national and local funds from 2020 to 2023, improving residential conditions and establishing tourism infrastructure for village income generation through maintenance of port safety facilities, creation of Kuni Peace Square, and construction of a multipurpose support center.

First, the direct sales market for aquatic products around Goonon Port, which had deteriorated distribution facilities and weak infrastructure due to long-term underdevelopment of the port, was demolished, and 'Kuni Peace Square' featuring camping grounds, a peace plaza, and rest areas was created and cleaned up.

Additionally, aligned with the theme of 'a village of littleneck clams blooming with the flowers of peace, Goonon-ri Village,' the project plans to promote sixth-industry activities in fishing villages within the multipurpose support center, including product development themed on littleneck clams and operation of a littleneck clam café, positioning Goonon-ri as 'Gyeonggi Province's representative littleneck clam village.'

Meanwhile, the Fishing Village New Deal 300 is a competitive project by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries aimed at modernizing living infrastructure for 300 fishing villages and ports nationwide and discovering region-specific projects to increase local vitality. Since 2022, the province has completed four sites including Hwaseong Baekmi Port, Siheung Oi Island, Ansan Haengnang-gok Port, and Hwaseong Goonon Port, and plans to additionally complete two sites including Pyeongtaek Gwangwan Port and Hwaseong Gukhwa Island Port to continue the achievements of the Fishing Village New Deal 300 Project.

Gong Jeong-sik, head of the Province's Agriculture, Marine and Life Science Division, stated, "Goonon Port, located within the Maehyang-ri Firing Range, was once a symbol of war that suffered from incessant aircraft bombing sounds, but through the Fishing Village New Deal 300 Project, it has been reborn as a symbol of peace." He added, "The province will continue to make greater efforts for regional development, including reorganization of fishing villages within the province and development of fishing village tourism resources for residents of the Seoul metropolitan area through the Fishing Village New Deal 300 Project and the Fishing Village Revitalization Project."