Traditional fishing village welcomes foreign visitors
Galnam Village / Courtesy of RASKB
By Jon Dunbar
Development has spared no corner of the Korean Peninsula, not even remote fishing villages on the east coast.
The coastal fishing community of
, south of Samcheok in Gangwon Province, is losing its vitality, as the country's fishing industry industrializes and relies increasingly on imports, and 70 percent of local residents are over 70 years of age. With seemingly no other options left, it is turning to tourism.
It is following the course of nearby Jangho Village, which managed to transform itself into a tourist hotspot, but in the wake of widespread attention, a new cable car and “nude kayaking,” the once-charming fishing village has lost its culture.
“When today's tourism tends to consume and extract the cultural and social assets of the community, can we come up with a narrative that highlights socially responsible tourism?” Daniel Oh, an urban landscape expert and professor of architecture at Korea University, asked in an online post. “And ultimately, how can we help to regenerate derelict neighborhoods for the residents and the community while retaining their authenticity?”
Oh has been working since 2016 with the 300-year-old village to help it regain its vitality while preserving local traditions. Rather than making a quick buck, he has been urging the local government to pursue “conservation-based place marketing” for the village.
“One strategy for economic regeneration is to make the village attractive for international tourists as well as Koreans with an appreciation for 'authentic' and 'unique' experiences in Korea,” he said. “On the master plan for the village, I've identified the foreign community as a potential group that can help the village restore its vitality and dignity and build self-reliance.”
This weekend, he is
to the village for an overnight stay. He will guide participants through the village, offering a glimpse of village life and a chance to interact with local residents ― which include fishermen, sailors and female divers known as “haenyeo.”
Two types of accommodation are available for the overnight stay: traditional “minbak” accommodation in the home of a local resident, or a more modern “pension” building. As the village lacks restaurants, meals will be prepared using the traditional methods of the community with help from the villagers themselves.
Accompanying the group will be two researchers from the National Folk Museum of Korea, who have been studying the village since 2013 when the museum selected it for documenting and archiving in light of being one of the best-preserved traditional fishing villages in the nation.
The tour will also stop by Jangho Village, Samcheok Cable Car and Haesindang Park.
The group leaves on Saturday morning from Yongsan Post Office, located near exit 1 of Sinyongsan Station on Seoul Metro Line 4. It costs 245,000 won, or 205,000 won for members of the
Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch (RASKB)
.