​1. Research goals

￮ This study serves as a blueprint and a baseline survey required to designate and promote international exchange districts specified as a special case in Article 49 of the “Jeonbuk Special Act.” It aimed to define an international exchange district and create a relevant roadmap and action plans.

2. Conclusions and policy recommendations

❚ The vision and strategies for proposed international exchange districts 

￮ Maritime cultural heritage international exchange districts (the “Districts”) refer to areas designated to promote exchange and cooperation between nations or international organizations/groups for maritime cultural heritage that features spiritual, material, academic, and scenic values derived from human–ocean interactions.

￮ Under the vision statement, “Specialization, resource utilization, and globalization of Korean maritime cultural heritage,” we developed a set of strategies: 1) building educational platforms for Korean maritime cultural heritage to achieve specialization; 2) revitalizing experiential tourism in maritime cultural heritage to promote resource utilization; and 3) establishing an international exchange beachhead for the globalization of Korean maritime cultural heritage.

❚ District zoning

￮ The presence or absence of underwater cultural heritage dictates the designation of an international exchange district. Thus, excavated underwater cultural heritage areas are designated priority internationa exchange districts. Additionally, despite having no underwater cultural heritage excavation history, those underwater sites believed to house cultural heritage based on historical research and feasibility studies are categorized as secondary districts. 

￮ (Core international exchange districts) These districts, centered around the areas where underwater cultural heritage has been discovered, need to be protected due to their high applicability (total area: 400 ㎢).

￮ (Prospective international exchange districts) Despite the lack of confirmed underwater cultural heritage, these districts are strong contenders for designation as core international exchange districts (total area: 1,170 ㎢).

❚ Action plans to revitalize the Districts

￮ Detailed action plans to revitalize the Districts include 1) discovering, restoring, and utilizing maritime cultural heritage; 2) nurturing and training experts in maritime cultural heritage; 3) leveraging maritime cultural heritage to promote experiential tourism; 4) establishing an international organization dedicated to maritime cultural heritage; and 5) facilitating inter-Korean exchange and cooperation for maritime cultural heritage.

❚ Policy recommendations

￮ Jeonbuk’s ordinance (draft) on the designation and management of international exchange districts mandates the creation of relevant action plans every five years. Therefore, upon designation, the Jeonbuk local government must intensify its efforts to develop action plans and related projects to promote the designated Districts.

￮ To revitalize the Districts, relevant projects must be designed in such a way to be facilitated by the policies of the Korea Heritage Service and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (e.g., the frameworks for oceans, fisheries, and fishery infrastructure and development plans for port hinterland).

￮ Jeonbuk State must revise the “Jeonbuk Special Act” through the submission of special cases, such as 1) relaxing restrictions on activities in marine protected areas stipulated in the “Conservation and Management of Marine Ecosystems Act,” 2) excluding the Districts from the coastal erosion management areas and relaxing corresponding activities stipulated in the “Coastal Zone Management Act,” and 3) easing restrictions on occupancy and use permits of public waters stipulated in the “Management and Reclamation of Public Waters Act.”

￮ For the legality of establishing the tentatively named “World Maritime Cultural Heritage Center,” Jeonbuk must seriously consider specifying it either in maritime heritage-related laws or in Article 49 of the “Jeonbuk Special Act.”

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