Saemangeum Project Office
Lateral View of Saemangeum Project OfficeThis is the Lateral View of the Saemangeum Project Office in Daehang-ri, Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun. The office was built to promote and display the construction process and history of the Saemangeum reclamation project, one of the world’s largest-scale projects.
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Location6, Saemangeum-ro Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- CategoryTour/ Cultural Facilities
- Korean새만금 홍보관
- Chinese-萬金弘報館
- FieldGeography / Human Geography
- Contents TypePlace Name / Facility
- Original Location6, Saemangeum-ro Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Current Location6, Saemangeum-ro Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Definition
- An office and facility to promote the Saemangeum Embankment Project located in Daehang-ri, Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Summary
- The Saemangeum Reclamation Project is a large-scale national land development project with the purpose to establish a reclaimed land measuring about 40,000 ha in area by installing an embankment, measuring a total of 33.9 km in length, stretching from Bieungdo-dong, Gunsan-si to Daehang-ri, Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun by way of Sinsido Island in Gogunsan Islands. The reclaimed land is to be developed as the primary zone out of the Western coast of the Korean Peninsula to lead future industries in agriculture, commerce, tourism, scientific research & development, and logistics for new ports.
- Background of Construction
- Operated by the Saemangeum Project Team of Korea Rural Community Corporation, Saemangeum Project Office was constructed to promote and exhibit the history and process of the Saemangeum Embankment Project, one of the largest land development projects in the world.
- Development
- The Saemangeum Project Office, equipped with an exhibition hall, a video room and a viewpoint, opened on August 3, 1995 to promote(publicize) the history and operation(process) of the Saemangeum Reclamation Project. But as the facility deteriorated, the office was closed. The construction for the new and advanced Project Office meeting international standards started in 2010, and its grand-opening was on July 19, 2012.
- Composition
- The Saemangeum Project Office is located where the Saemangeum Embankment starts, or near Buan-gun in Jeollabuk-do. Measuring 13,784 ㎡ in total(site) area, the office has three stories including one basement floor, featuring a special exhibition hall, a permanent exhibition hall, a promotional video room, and a viewpoint(an observatory). The exhibition hall displays the developmental history of Korean reclamation technologies, the problems of the national land in usage, the status quo of the reclaimed land project, measures to improve water quality, the seasonal homes of migrating birds, a scaled-up model of the Saemangeum zone, a scaled-up model of the drainage gate, and more.
- Current Status
- The Saemangeum Project Office is managed and operated by the Saemangeum Project Team of the Korea Rural Community Corporation. A total of 7 people under the head are in charge of establishing operation plans of the Project Office, maintaining & managing exhibition facilities and managing the safety of visitors and the facilities. The name “Saemangeum” denotes how the project “newly (“Sae”) expands the rolling plain (“Man”) in Gimje (“Geum”).” The word captures the hope of developers to create a new land as fertile as the famous plain of Mangyeong and Gimje. The Saemangeum Reclamation Project covers a vast land mass, which is 140 times larger than Yeoido in Seoul. The preparation began in 1971, and the construction started in 1991 to complete the Saemangeum Embankment on April 27, 2010. The Saemangeum Embankment is the world’s longest embankment measuring 33.9 km in length, which starts from Daehang-ri, Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun through Seonyudo Island to Bieung Port in Gunsan-si. Due to great differences in tide cycles on the Korean West coast, developers had experienced much difficulty in building the embankment for 19 years. With an indomitable will to overcome the forces of nature by using advanced reclamation technology, they were able to complete the Saemangeum Reclamation Project in time. In 2013, the Korean government created the Saemangeum Development & Investment Agency responsible for overseeing the Saemangeum reclamation project, formulating basic plans, and promoting investments. In 2018, its Head Office was moved to Gunsan-si in Jeollabuk-do.
- See Also