Yeosu to be Promoted as Special Marine Resort Zone

The government held its Second Committee for Local Development chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lee Hun-jae on February 2, and designated the following four special zones, Ocean Resort Special Zone in Yeosu city, Medical Research Special Zone for Chinese and Western Medicine in Jeonbuk, Haeundae ConventionImageMarine Leisure Special Zone in Busan, and Changnyung Foreign Language Education Special Zone in Gyeongnam.

In Sohodong of Yeosu city, the 36,585-pyong-scale Ocean Resort Special Zone will be home to a convention center accommodating 1,000 people, a hotel with 256 rooms, and a condominium with 240 rooms, and recreation and leisure centers by 2007 with a 200 billion won investment plan.

The 45,437-pyong Special Medical Zone, which will be in Dasongli, Hamyeoleub of Iksan city, will have medical centers including a geriatric hospital accommodating 110 patients and an assistant center for industrialization of radiation image technology that will be established by 2009.

The Haeundaegu Convention Image Marine Leisure Special Zone, which will be located in a 3.9 million-pyong area of Woo-dong and Joong-dong in Busan, will be equipped with training centers for marine sports and yacht moorages by 2007.

In the Changnyung Foreign Language Education Special Zone, nine foreign teachers will be dispatched to high schools to improve the educational environment of foreign languages in rural areas, and an English camp where 10 foreign lecturers instruct, and a cyber foreign language education center will be established.

Jong sik Kong kong@donga.com