Park Byeong-seon, a lifelong suseok — decorative stone — collector, reappointed for another two-year term
Park Byeong-seon, director of the Suncheon World Suseok Museum and known as an advocate for the Jindo dog breed, has been reappointed as a tourism ambassador for Jindo-gun.
Park, who runs the country's largest outdoor suseok — decorative stone — museum, recently received his reappointment certificate from Jindo-gun chief Lee Jae-gak and will serve another two-year term in the role.
During his career as a civil servant at city hall, Park worked to register the Jindo dog as an internationally recognized breed and raise its global profile. He also contributed to the process by which the breed was listed as No. 334 among the world's recognized dogs by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale.
After retiring from public life and later converting to Christianity, Park became something of a legend when he brought 750 people to the faith within a single year of joining a church — earning him the nickname "Jindo dog evangelist."
Three years ago, following his retirement, he purchased 99,000 square meters of land in Sangsa-myeon, Suncheon, where he opened a suseok museum displaying more than 2,000 stones, turning it into a must-visit destination for decorative stone enthusiasts.
"I will do everything I can to make my hometown Suncheon and Jindo, the home of the Jindo dog, into tourist destinations that people from around the world will seek out," Park said.
parkds@heraldcorp.com
