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(The following article was translated into English by artificial intelligence.)
Transforming into an Educational, Administrative, Cultural, and Agricultural City
Geochang County in Gyeongsangnam-do is planning to create the best local government in the country, leading the way with administrative initiatives focused solely on its residents, and aiming to develop into the central city of western Gyeongsangnam-do, completing the era of "Greater Geochang Leap, the Era of Happiness for Residents."
Surrounded by 23 peaks over 1,000 meters above sea level, the county is constructing diverse cultural and tourism infrastructure facilities with a focus on three areas: "leisure healing," "leisure adventure," and "natural landscapes," based on its forest resources.
At an altitude of 1,046 meters, there is a specialized forest healing area called "Anti-aging Healing Land," surrounded by Mt. Udu (Udusan) and Mt. Bigye (Bigyesan). In particular, this place was selected as one of the "2023-2024 Top 100 Tourist Destinations in Korea" by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization, and is rapidly rising as a tourist attraction nationwide. Anti-aging Healing Land features a Y-shaped suspension bridge without pillars, the first of its kind in Korea, and an accessible trail where anyone can walk safely and comfortably.
Geochang's landmark, the Y-shaped suspension bridge, was selected as an excellent structure in the bridge category by the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE) held in Switzerland in 2023.
In addition, there are accommodation facilities such as forest leisure resorts and forest houses, where visitors can enjoy the scent of phytoncides on forest trails and view rare plants against the backdrop of Gyeanam Waterfall.
Surrounded by numerous unique rocky peaks, the beautiful Uisangbong, also known as the "Small Geumgangsan," and the picturesque scenery of Bigyesan are ideal natural leisure tourist destinations. This year, the "Baejae Forest Recreation Park" will open, where various adventures and experiences can be enjoyed. Forest recreation towns, specialized forest houses, etc., will be created. Plans are also underway to develop into the largest composite forest leisure complex in the northern region, utilizing forest resources, including the Baekdudaegan Ecological Education Center, Speed Extreme Town, camping grounds, and forest sports adventure towns.
The county is planning to transform into an educational, administrative, cultural, and agricultural city by implementing various policies, along with the best forest leisure tourist destination in the country where relaxation and leisure activities are possible amidst its natural landscapes. In the economic and industrial sectors, plans are underway to revitalize the local economy through the establishment of a national research institute for the elevator industry, construction of a multi-cultural center, completion of an advanced general industrial complex, and establishment of a youth startup support center.
In the agricultural and rural areas, plans include the construction of dormitories for foreign workers to address the shortage of rural labor, redevelopment projects for rural spaces in Dongsan Village, provision of smart farm leases and sales to young farmers, and implementation of a cost guarantee system for agricultural products to create a happy city for farmers. In the population and settlement sector, efforts will be made to improve medical environments and settlement conditions through the establishment of public dementia-specialized elderly care facilities, construction of a Geochang-style medical welfare town, and construction of funeral facilities.
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