Local cities dream to renaissance; the nation’s top leading IT and game companies have relocated their headquarters to Jeju Island

2013-10-02 17:14

Local cities dream to renaissance

By Kim Ji-soo
In terms of size, the city of Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province is a medium-sized one with a population estimated at about 140,000. The city is absent the high-rises one might see in Seoul or Busan, with the large modern E-mart building being one of the most conspicuous edifices. The food the seaside city boasts of ― honey-dipped fried red-bean round donuts, dried sweet potato porridges, the numerous fish dishes ― are truly local. But so many names, legendarily etched in Korean cultural history, hail from the area, giving it an aura to contend with. There is the late novelist Park Kyung-ni, the musician Yoon I-sang, and artists Lee Joong-sup and Jeon Hyuk-lim, to name just a few.Tongyeong also holds annually the Tongyeong International Music Festival in honor of the late composer Yoon. Beautiful photos have emerged from this festival such as world-renown pianist Paik Kun-woo performing on Yokji Island. The place is a historical goldmine too where Joseon Kingdom-era (1392-1910) Admiral Yi Sun-shin destroyed Japanese warships in the 16th century.  There is a park named after him in the city.
Tongyeong, just like Jeju Island, is emerging as viable living destination for Koreans. During the heydays of industrialization in the 1970s and ‘80s, Koreans flocked to cities. In a country of nearly 50 million, about 25 million are concentrated in Seoul and its surrounding cities, in an attestation to how the population flow was one-way.
A poem by Park Kyung-ni, “Night Ship,” the lines of which are written on a rectangular steel pad in a sprawling resort in Tongyeong overlooking the beautiful “hallyeosudo” seems to speak for those who wanted to leave for bigger cities.
“The sound of the boat horn, is a brook in my heart, a sadness of one who cannot leave.” Her poem is echoed by other poets from the city.
The concentration of cultural legacy and the clean environment has been a strong allure for sojourners and retirees. The famous hair designer Grace Lee who was known for her bob hairstyles retired to Tongyeong. Seoulites who used to run pet shops or large educational institutions have retired because they became tired and weary of their harried urban life. For a second or third phase in their lives, more people are choosing new cities or towns.
What I am trying to get at is Koreans are choosing more diverse lifestyles. Go to a bookstore in Seoul, and there will be quite a number of books on how to relocate to rural towns or “how I’ve made a new life …” in smaller towns and cities. It’s no longer a few cities like Jeju or Tongyeong. But what will be the economic rudder for the new inhabitants? In upstate New York, Greek yogurt makers are creating a Silicon-Valley like center for dairy products, according to several U.S. news reports. The nation’s top leading IT and game companies have relocated their headquarters to Jeju Island, and individual farmers have relayed success stories, but Korea has probably yet to see smaller provincial districts newly emerging as hubs for new industries or sectors. As the Park Geun-hye administration works toward shifting Korea’s economic model toward one fueled by innovative software and start-ups, the smaller cities and towns could become a viable alternative for business as well. But when the rush begins, will these new cities look like the ones that people were fleeing?