Saemangeum New Port to be developed as an international cruise port representing the Korean Wave

- Proposal of a plan to revitalize Saemangeum Cruise by incorporating K-culture (Korean food, Hanbok*, Hanok**)

* Hanbok : Korean traditional clothes

** Hanok : Korean traditional house

- Saemangeum Development Agency is underway to secure the budget or next year's related projects, including the construction of the Saemangeum International Cruise Terminal





Administrator Kim Kyung-an of Saemangeum Development and Investment Agency (heareinafter referred to as SDIA) announced that SDIA has prepared a plan to vitalize the cruise industry, a new growth engine for Saemangeum, with the Korean Wave as its main concept, as the Saemangeum New Port is scheduled to open in the second half of 2026.



The global cruise market has been growing rapidly since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is an industry with high economic ripple effects as large cruise ships (over 170,000 tons) can attract 4,000 to 5,000 tourists.



In order to establish measures to vitalize the cruise industry, a high value-added tourism industry, SDIA launched the “Saemangeum New Port Cruise Tourism Conditions Analysis and Development Direction Research Service” in June, and held a final report meeting on September 6.



The report included key strategic tasks for vitalizing the Saemangeum cruise industry, establishment of detailed promotion plans, and mid to long-term development strategies for fostering the cruise industry.



In particular, on the basis of the analysis result of the global cruise industry trend, the direction in which the Saemangeum cruise tourism industry should move forward and strategies for vitalizing the cruise industry were presented.



The main contents of the report meeting are as the following. Firstly, the creation of a tourism route using Jeonju Hanok (Korean traditional house) Village and Gunsan modern history resources centered on the Hallyu theme. Secondly, applying K-culture storytelling including Korean food, Hanbok, and Hanok to increase tourism appeal. Thirdly, the development of Saemangeum cruise tourism and the creation of a convention center through providing incentives.



In addition, through this research service, the basic plan (draft) for the establishment of the Saemangeum International Cruise Terminal, including the direction of infrastructure construction, scale, introduction function setting, and project cost estimation were discussed.



In particular, the focus was on simplifying the immigration inspection (CIQ : Customs, Immigration, Quarantine) process and modernizing gangways (traps between ships and land) for the convenience of cruise tourists, thereby increasing the duration spent at tourist destinations and minimizing inconvenience to tourists.



Yoon Soon-hee, Vice Minister of SDIA said, “Following the achievement of attracting 10 trillion won in corporate investment, we will work to foster the cruise industry, a high value-added industry.” She added, “To achieve this, we will integrate K-culture (Korean food, hanbok and hanok) and devise a plan to vitalize the cruise industry unique to Saemangeum.”