Gwangmyeong, to Develop ‘abandoned Gahak mine’ into Global Cave Tourist Attraction
Createdd 2011-04-07 Hit 1463
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According to Yonhap News,
An abandoned mine in Gahak-dong, Gwangmyeong City, Gyeonggi Province will be developed into a global cave tourist attraction.
According to Gwangmyeong City on March 28th, Gahak mine where silver, bronze, and zinc were mined starting from 1912 was abandoned in 1972, and will be reborn as a tourism resource. To that end, the plan to form an eco-park was devised in 2000, and the nearby area of 5,200m2 was purchased on January 26th.
The City plans to secure the budget of KRW 4.2 billion this year to purchase additional sites and commission the basic plan to boost its efforts to develop a tourist attraction.
Rail bike, boat riding course, 4D theater, and cave performance hall will be installed at the mine, and mine shafts will be transformed into storage for wine and fermented food.
Gwangmyeong City has decided to develop the abandoned mine in that it has high accessibility, just 1.5 km away from KTX Gwangmyeong station.
The City expects that tourists from China, Japan, and Southeast Asia will be able to comfortably visit Gahak mine, since it is within 30 to 40 minutes from KTX Gwangmyeong station and Incheon International Airport. Considering this advantage, the City is pushing forward a plan to build a large-scale shopping mall for foreigners.
Gwangmyeong Mayor Yang Gi-dae visited Hwaam Cave in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province and Amethyst Cavern Park in Ulsan last month, and went to the U.S. to collect information to benchmark against natural cave in Texas and Calico mine in the Mojave on February 15th.
Mayor Yang said “Calico mine is much smaller than abandoned Gahak mine, but is attracting a number of tourists under its unique theme of western frontier,” and added “Gahak mine has high accessibility with nearby KTX Gwangmyeong station, and Gwangmyeong Siheung Bogeum Jari Housing, so if the mine is developed into a tourist attraction it will significantly contribute to the regional economy.”
