168 treasure islands, 1,500 won 'city bus fare' how to find them.

YTN Radio (FM 94.5) [YTN News FM Wise Radio Life]
□ Broadcast Date: November 20, 2024 (Wednesday)
□ Host: Announcer Park Gui-bin
□ Castor: Jiwon-chan, Director of Island Maritime Policy, Incheon-si

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information.
◆ Announcer Park Gui-bin (hereinafter referred to as Park Gui-bin): Living white paper, today we are with Incheon City. Incheon citizens can go to all the islands in Incheon by city bus fare starting next year. On October 24, for the first time in the country, the Incheon Treasure Island Project No. 1 'Incheon Eye (i) Sea Pass' policy was announced to realize public transportation of passenger ships. For more information, let's talk with Ji Won-chan, the head of the island maritime policy department at Incheon Metropolitan City Hall. How are you, sir?

◇Jiwon Chan, Director of Island Maritime Policy Division, Incheon (hereinafter referred to as Jiwon Chan): Hello.

◆Park Gui-bin: Starting next year, the Incheon Metropolitan Government announced the Incheon Treasure Island Project No. 1 'Incheon Eye (i) Sea Pass' policy to realize public transportation of passenger ships for the first time in the country. Please introduce what it contains.

◇ Jiwon-chan: Yes. Starting in 2020, passenger ships are also included in public transportation due to the revision of the Act on Promotion of Public Transportation and Promotion of Use. Currently, only residents of Ganghwa-gun and Ongjin-gun islands have been supported to use ferries at city bus fares. In the meantime, Incheon City provided 80% of the regular passenger fare to Incheon citizens, so they could visit Incheon's island with only 20% of the fare. Nevertheless, it was still relatively burdensome compared to other transportation methods. As a result, the "Incheon Eye (i) Sea Pass" was promoted not only to give all citizens of Incheon the same benefits but also to promote island tourism by improving island accessibility. So from next year, all Incheon citizens will be able to go to Incheon's island with 1,500 won, which is the city bus fare, when they visit the island area in Incheon. In addition, we will increase the support rate for regular passenger fares to 70% from 50% to 70% for residents of other cities and provinces living in other areas so that they can visit the island of Incheon for only 30%.

◆Park Gui-bin: I really want to visit the island of Incheon at least once because the fare for the passenger ship is 1,500 won for Incheon citizens and the residents of other regions can go to the island with only 30% of the fare. Is there a specific standard for supporting Incheon I(i) Sea Pass?

◇ Jiwon-chan: Yes. According to resident registration, all citizens living in Incheon are eligible for support. In the case of other cities and residents living in other areas, tourists who stay more than one night on weekdays can receive support if the one-way regular fare is more than 10,000 won, except during weekends and summer peak seasons. In addition, the city plans to continue to provide 70% of passenger fares to those who have left the country and visitors to the Armed Forces.

◆Park Gui-bin: In addition to solving these traffic problems, I think there should be a lot of preparation for tourists visiting the island. Please tell me how you are preparing.

◇ Jiwon-chan: Yes. That's right. In order to attract island tourists, I think it is necessary to improve and expand convenience facilities and develop and operate various programs to expand accommodation, food, attractions, and entertainment, where the island area is relatively weak. To this end, the city is collaborating with Ongjin-gun to create a K-tourism island development project on Baengnyeong Island, a restoration project for the filming location of Daeijak Island's "Island Village Teacher" film, an ecotourism experience center, a Jawoldo Astronomical Science Museum, a Soya Island cultural regeneration project, an Equator Tepuru Beach campground, and a natural recreation forest. In addition, we plan to discover content and prepare future development plans in connection with surrounding islands based on Deokjeok and Jawol Islands. First of all, in 2025, we are planning to use the "Camping Plus Festival" and the "MTB Bicycle Competition" using the Deokjeokdo Bicycle Path, and the "Red Moon Festival" in connection with the Jeju Astronomical Science Museum.

◆Park Gui-bin: Lastly, could you tell us about the effects that Incheon City expects from the project promotion and its future plans?

◇ Jiwon-chan: Yes. The Incheon Metropolitan Government expects that the promotion of the "Incheon Eye (i) Sea Pass" project will greatly contribute to the revitalization of island tourism by easing the economic burden on passenger ship users for island tourism. We will do our best to prepare for the implementation of the system so that citizens visiting the island will not experience any inconvenience in the future. We ask citizens to pay a lot of attention and visit the island so that 168 treasure islands off the coast of Incheon can be a resting place for the whole nation as well as the metropolitan area.

◆Park Gui-bin: I was Ji Won-chan, the head of the island maritime policy department in Incheon Metropolitan City.