Gyeongsangbuk-do held a seminar titled "Regional Development through the Creation of a Dokdo Theme Park and Ways to Revitalize Dokdo Education" at 1:30 PM on the 28th at the Jecheon City Hall.

This seminar was supported by Gyeongsangbuk-do’s "Domestic and International Academic Conference and Seminar Hosting" support program and organized by the Cadastral Museum (Director Lee Beom-gwan), a specialized museum dedicated to territorial studies.

The seminar was organized to shed new light on the life and story of Kim Hwa-sun—the oldest Jeju-born migrant Haenyeo (female diver) who rests in Jecheon, an inland city without islands or the sea—and based on this, to explore the establishment of a Dokdo theme park connecting Jecheon, Ulleungdo, and Dokdo, alongside measures to revitalize Dokdo education.

In particular, using the marine cultural content of Haenyeo as a medium, the event connected Jecheon's local culture with Gyeongsangbuk-do's Dokdo and marine cultural resources, discussing a new regional cooperation model that encompasses tourism, culture, and education beyond traditional Dokdo education and promotion.

The event proceeded in three parts. Part 1, the commemorative event, featured a performance by ventriloquism master Park Yong-woo based on the stories of Isabu, Dokdo, and the Wooden Lion (Mugusaja). This was followed by the screening of a video titled 「Kim Hwa-sun, the Oldest Jeju-born Migrant Haenyeo Resting in Jecheon, A City Without Islands or the Sea」, introducing her life and its historical and cultural significance.

Part 2 (Keynote Presentations) and Part 3 (General Panel Discussion) covered the life of Haenyeo Kim Hwa-sun and the necessity of commemorative projects, the brand value of the Haenyeo Lighthouse Tower utilizing Lake Cheongpungho, and plans for creating and vitalizing a Dokdo theme park linking Haenyeo content with Jecheon, Ulleungdo, and Dokdo.

Following this, experts exchanged diverse opinions on ways the Dokdo theme park could contribute to Dokdo education, cultural tourism, and regional development, as well as specific directions for its creation and methods for linkage with the local community.

Gyeongsangbuk-do expects this seminar to serve as an opportunity to move beyond merely remembering the life of Haenyeo Kim Hwa-sun as past history, connecting Haenyeo culture, Dokdo, and local historical, cultural, and tourism resources to develop them into new future contents.

In particular, by discussing Haenyeo and Dokdo together in Jecheon, an inland city, the seminar presented the possibility of a new regional cooperative effort transcending regional boundaries to connect historical, cultural, and educational resources.

Choi Young-sook, Head of Gyeongsangbuk-do’s East Coast Headquarters, stated in her congratulatory remarks, "The life of Haenyeo Kim Hwa-sun makes us reflect on the history and culture of our sea, extending from Jecheon to Jeju, Ulleungdo, and Dokdo. We hope that the Dokdo theme park will develop into an educational and cultural platform connecting Haenyeo, the sea, Ulleungdo, Dokdo, and local history and culture into a single narrative."

Meanwhile, Gyeongsangbuk-do is promoting various projects to revitalize Dokdo education and spread correct awareness about Dokdo through a total of four academic conferences and seminars selected via open competitions, including this seminar by the Cadastral Museum.

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