By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter

^The town of Damyang, South Jeolla Province, is introducing new projects to promote its status as Asia's first ``Slow City,'' or ``Cittaslow,'' a movement founded in Italy in 1999 to celebrate cultural legacies of small towns and promote the virtues of slow lifestyles.

^Damyang local government announced Wednesday that their citizens will organize a weekly ``Snail Market" featuring the region's specialties. The name reflects the ideals of the slow city movement, which has expanded to 111 cities worldwide.

^In cooperation with the Jeonnam Provincial College and Changpyeong Culture Research Institute, Damyang will organize flea markets and various cultural projects and promote them as unique tourist attractions.

Visitors and tourists will find antiques and agricultural products from the region, among other items. They will also have the opportunity to participate in making traditional Korean dishes and join bike races and walkathons and such, just a few examples of a host of activities the city has arranged to expand the slow city movement nationwide.

The reason behind Damyang's unique status in being selected as the first slow city in Asia is its inherent cultural and culinary legacies, officials said.

The southwestern Jeolla region is famous for its age-old recipe of bean paste, a good example of the slow food movement, which served as an inspiration for the creation of slow cities. Damyang is planning to promote the health benefits of the indispensable ingredient for Korean dishes in an effort to develop the recipe as a global brand product.

Cittaslow is a global cultural trend aimed at improving the quality of life in small towns while resisting hectic and fast-paced urban lifestyles, and part of the ``Slow Movement," a cultural shift against anything done or made quickly. Slow food and slow travel have been the most visible examples of the movement, which is gaining more supporters worldwide.

With the designation of Damyang as a slow city in 2007, the movement was introduced to Asia for the first time. Since then, Cheongsan Island of Wando and Jeungdo, Sinan County, South Jeolla Province, have been accredited as slow cities by a membership organization based in Italy.

Korea is to host the International Cittaslow Assembly in June 2010.


jhdo@koreatimes.co.kr