Plan for ‘ecological tourism belt’ near DMZ

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Plan for ‘ecological tourism belt’ near DMZ

Published: 27 Jul. 2011, 20:45

The government finalized an 18.8 trillion won ($17.9 billion) blueprint yesterday to create an “ecological tourism belt” in regions near the border with North Korea by 2030.

The blueprint, approved in a meeting led by Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik, fleshed out a 2009 plan to turn the areas near the Demilitarized Zone, a 4-kilometer-wide (2.4-mile-wide) swath of land serving as a buffer between the two Koreas since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, into tourist attractions.

Areas near the DMZ are rich in flora and fauna as development has been restricted.

Fifteen cities and counties near the border are subject to the plan.

The plan calls for the DMZ area to be designated as a biosphere zone by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) to preserve biodiversity and promote sustainable use of the area that is home to a variety of rare species.

It also calls for establishing observation stations where tourists can watch rare species of animals and plants and establishing tourism programs taking advantage of cultural and historical assets as well as sites illustrating national division.

Yonhap

한글 관련 기사 [중앙일보]

[브리핑] 정부, 접경지역 개발 계획 확정

정부는 27일 김황식 국무총리 주재로 접경지역 정책심의위원회를 열고 2030년까지 민간자본을 포함해 18조8000억원을 들여 비무장지대(DMZ) 등 접경지역을 개발하는 접경지역 발전종합계획을 확정했다. 종합계획에 따르면 DMZ 일대는 생태관광벨트로 육성하고, 접경지역에 저탄소·녹색산업 연구시설을 유치키로 했다. 또 통일시대를 대비해 산업·물류지구를 단계적으로 조성할 방침이다. 대상 지역은 인천·경기·강원 15개 시·군.