Yeongrang Beach plagued by one-way roads and missing sidewalks, losing ground as a top destination; city pushes three key projects including Daepo Port upgrade and international ferry terminal revival
Sokcho Mayor Lee Byeong-seon said the city's maritime and port resources, including Daepo Port and Sokcho Port, are "an important foundation for building Sokcho's future growth engine."
Lee traveled to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in Busan to secure national funding and government backing for key maritime and port projects the city sees as drivers of future growth.
Sokcho City said Thursday that Lee, accompanied by city civil servants and a representative from the office of Assembly member Lee Yang-su, visited the ministry and held a series of meetings with officials from the port bureau, the fisheries village and aquaculture policy division, and the fisheries policy office to request support for major local issues.
The three priority projects are the Daepo Port national hub fishing port development project, facility improvements at Sokcho Port's international passenger terminal, and the creation of a waterfront space along the Yeongrang-dong coastal area. Lee outlined the necessity and urgency of each project and requested national funding and inclusion in government programs.
The city first urged the ministry to grant final selection to the Daepo Port national hub fishing port development project, which carries a total project cost of 89.7 billion won ($65.5 million).
Daepo Port has already cleared written and on-site evaluations and is one of three candidate ports nationwide, with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries set to complete a master plan and consult with local governments before making a final selection in September.
Daepo Port draws about 1.36 million visitors a year and is regarded as a leading tourism fishing port on the East Sea coast, with well-developed tourism, accommodation and commercial districts. Annual seafood auction volume reaches roughly 2,500 tons, making it a competitive port that combines stable fisheries operations with tourism and seafood retail functions. Even so, the port has long struggled to attract visitors due to complaints of price gouging.
Through the project, the city plans to transform Daepo Port from a tourism-focused destination into a "fisheries logistics and tourism complex hub port" that organically links production, distribution, processing, consumption and tourism.
The city also requested support to restore normal operations at Sokcho Port's international passenger terminal. The terminal was completed in 2000 but has sat largely unused since 2014, leaving its facilities in a state of deterioration.
The city estimates that about 14.3 billion won is needed to renovate the terminal and surrounding waterfront areas, and asked the ministry to include the work in its small-scale port redevelopment program.
The city said restoring the international passenger terminal is not only essential for stable international route operations but also a key piece of maritime infrastructure for realizing the government's "Peace Sea Route" vision, which envisions a corridor linking the Wonsan-Galma coastal tourism zone through Sokcho to Russia and Japan.
The city also asked the ministry to expand roads and develop a waterfront space for residents and tourists to enjoy coastal scenery, in connection with the ongoing coastal improvement projects in the Yeongrang-dong coastal area's Zone 2 and Jangsa district.
Parts of the Yeongrang-dong coastal area lack sidewalks and operate as one-way roads, causing persistent pedestrian safety and traffic congestion problems. The city plans to incorporate road and waterfront facility improvements into the existing coastal improvement project, aiming to address not only disaster prevention but also residents' daily inconveniences and the overall tourism environment.
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