MOF announces sites selected for Fishing Village New Deal 3.0... Mipo, Songjeong, Hak-ri and Icheon selected in Busan

[Financial News] The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries recently announced the sites selected for its Fishing Village New Deal 3.0 project. In Busan, Mipo Port and Songjeong Port in Haeundae District, and Hak-ri Port and Icheon Port in Gijang County, were selected as the final sites.
The Fishing Village New Deal 3.0 project aims to revitalize fishing village economies by developing tourism, commercial and everyday convenience facilities in fishing ports and villages. It also seeks to boost the vitality of fishing villages by improving vulnerable living and safety infrastructure and services. The project is a flagship fishing village regeneration initiative by MOF, building on the achievements of previous fishing village and port regeneration projects while addressing their limitations.
Under the project, Haeundae District will receive 6.9 billion won in national funding over four years, starting next year and continuing through 2030. It plans to invest a total of 10 billion won to improve residents’ living environments and fishing conditions. Gijang County will also receive 7 billion won in national funding over four years starting next year. Together with 900 million won from the city and 2.1 billion won from the county, it will invest a total of 10 billion won in an integrated regeneration project linking Hak-ri Port, Icheon Port and the nearby villages as a single living area.

Haeundae District plans to create a hub called the “Fishing Village Station” at the two ports for fishers, residents and visitors. It will build a new one-story Fishing Village Station at Mipo Port and renovate the Songjeong Fishermen’s Welfare Center at Songjeong Port. Solar power facilities will be installed on the roofs of both buildings to increase energy self-sufficiency.
The district will also expand tourism infrastructure. At Mipo Port, it will improve the scenery by installing streetlights and nighttime lighting, and operate beach and water-based activity programs linked with Haeundae Beach. At Songjeong Port, it plans to spruce up the harbor, including by renovating the quay and building a fishing-gear warehouse, so visitors can experience the charm of an urban fishing village.
“This selection in the public competition is an achievement we worked toward together with fishers and residents, overcoming the disappointment of three unsuccessful bids,” said Haeundae District Chief Kim Seong-su. “We will improve fishers’ safety at work and living conditions while expanding tourism infrastructure linked with Haeundae and Songjeong beaches to bring new vitality to the local economy,” he pledged.
Gijang County plans to focus on improving the environment at Hak-ri Port and upgrading facilities for fishers, including fishing-gear storage and shared workspaces. At Icheon Port, it plans to improve both fishers’ working conditions and residents’ living conditions by upgrading port facilities and the surrounding environment. The county will also establish a “Fishing Village Station” as a hub for everyday services and run programs to revitalize the community.
The county plans to gather residents’ opinions and consult experts as it prepares next year’s master plan, then finalize the details of the project. It will proceed in stages after completing procedures including approval from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the preparation of an implementation plan.
“The selection for the Fishing Village New Deal 3.0 project is a valuable result of the residents of Hak-ri and Icheon, the fishing village associations and the local administration working together with one purpose,” said Gijang County Governor Woo Seong-bin. “We will develop Hak-ri Port and Icheon Port into fishing villages where fishers and residents alike want to live, and grow them into new hubs of vitality along the Gijang coast,” he said.
[email protected] Byun Ok-hwan Reporter