Seosan's Garorim Bay Designated National Marine Ecological Park

Seosan City in South Chungcheong Province is set to emerge as a global marine eco-tourism destination, leveraging its exceptional marine ecological resources.

The city announced Wednesday that Garorim Bay will be officially designated as a National Marine Ecological Park by the end of December, alongside Muan-Sinan and Yeoja Bay in South Jeolla Province and Homi Peninsula in North Gyeongsang Province.

A National Marine Ecological Park is an area designated by the national government to preserve the ecological, scenic, academic, and economic value of marine assets and ensure their sustainable use and management, led by national and local governments.

The designation is expected to bring priority access to central government funding for Garorim Bay and positively impact the preliminary feasibility study for the National Marine Ecological Park development project the city is pursuing.

Garorim Bay serves as a habitat for various protected marine species, natural monuments, and endangered species, including spotted seals, fiddler crabs, and eelgrass. It is recognized as one of the world's five major tidal flats with the highest marine ecosystem productivity in Korea.

The bay was designated as a Marine Life Protection Area in 2016, and the city has since focused its administrative efforts on developing Garorim Bay into a National Marine Ecological Park.

Through cooperation with local National Assembly members, the city led amendments to the Marine Ecosystem Act in 2022, establishing the legal basis for National Marine Ecological Park support.

The Garorim Bay project plan was incorporated into campaign pledges by the president, provincial governor, and mayor, but the feasibility re-evaluation failed to pass last year by a narrow margin.

In July last year, the city held a joint press conference with South Chungcheong Province to reaffirm its commitment to continuing the Garorim Bay project.

Since then, through collaboration, the city has identified projects that can balance conservation and utilization of Garorim Bay, established a dedicated organization, and visited the National Assembly and Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to emphasize the necessity of the National Marine Ecological Park designation.

Seosan City and South Chungcheong Province plan to concentrate administrative efforts next year on responding to the preliminary feasibility study for the 120 billion won ($89 million) Garorim Bay National Marine Ecological Park project.

The city also plans to proceed with related projects including UNESCO World Natural Heritage registration for Seosan Tidal Flat in Garorim Bay, national garden infrastructure development, and tidal flat ecological trail construction.

"Based on this designation, we will do our best to ensure the smooth implementation of major Garorim Bay-based projects and transform into a global marine eco-tourism city," Seosan Mayor Lee Wan-seop said. "I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who cooperated in the designation process."