South Gyeongsang Province launches 'K-Merchant' tourism route tied to Samsung, LG and Hyosung founders

A legend surrounding Solbawi — a rock formation beneath Jeongamnu Pavilion in Uiryeong — holds that three great wealthy figures will be born within a 20-ri radius of the site. True to that legend, Samsung Group founder Lee Byung-chul, LG Group founder Koo In-hwoi and Hyosung founder Cho Hong-je were all born near the rock.

South Gyeongsang Province and the South Gyeongsang Tourism Foundation are moving ahead with a wide-area tourism route project linking the birthplaces and related historic sites of the three founders. The province and the foundation announced Thursday they will develop the "K-Merchant Tourism Route" connecting Jinju, Uiryeong and Haman, and are recruiting 15 youth supporters — dubbed "Rich Mates" — to promote the route at home and abroad.

The application deadline for Rich Mates, originally set for Friday, has been extended through Thursday to encourage broader participation from young people and foreign residents in the province. Successful applicants will be announced Sept. 11, and will carry out field visits and online promotional activities from an inaugural ceremony at the K-Entrepreneurship Center in Jinju on Sept. 18 through early December. The operating budget is 29 million won ($21,200). Participants will receive activity stipends and welcome kits, and top performers will be eligible for prize money and appointment as promotional ambassadors. Applications are accepted through an online Google form.

The project is part of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's Southern Region Wide-Area Tourism Development program. South Gyeongsang Province plans to invest a total of 6.2 billion won through 2030. This year, the province will begin developing tourism products with a combined investment of 1.43 billion won — comprising 715 million won in national government funds, 214.5 million won in provincial funds and 500.5 million won from the three municipalities of Jinju, Uiryeong and Haman. The funding is split 50 percent from the national government, 15 percent from the province and 35 percent from the municipalities.

The project sites are the Solbawi rock and Lee Byung-chul's birthplace in Uiryeong, the Seungsan wealthy village and Koo In-hwoi's birthplace in Jinju, and Cho Hong-je's birthplace in Haman. The province aims to consolidate entrepreneur-related heritage sites scattered across different administrative districts into a single tourism resource, boosting cross-regional travel.

By year's end, the province plans to establish a shared brand and archive and expand hands-on tourism programs. The youth supporters will visit the project sites and produce at least four pieces of short-form video and SNS content per month. Foreign exchange students and marriage migrant women with Korean-language proficiency will receive preferential consideration in the selection process. The province said it hopes participation by young people of diverse nationalities will help introduce the three entrepreneurs' lives and spirit to audiences at home and abroad.

"We will connect the merchant-related resources scattered across Jinju, Uiryeong and Haman into a single narrative and build it into a signature tourism brand representing South Gyeongsang Province," said Kim Sang-won, director of the province's tourism development bureau. Bae Jong-cheon, chief executive of the South Gyeongsang Tourism Foundation, said he hoped "the pioneering spirit of the K-Merchants will be freshly conveyed to tourists at home and abroad through the fresh sensibility of young people."