Visit-verification event to run for 88 days starting Wednesday
The Ministry of Interior and Safety announced Tuesday it has selected 88 islands as this year's "Islands Worth Visiting" ahead of the summer vacation season. The number 88 was chosen to mark Aug. 8, the national holiday designated as Islands Day.
The 88 selected islands span the country by region: 17 in Incheon, including Gyodongdo and Jumuondo; 2 in Gyeonggi Province, including Gukhwado and Jebudo; 6 in South Chungcheong Province, including Sapsido and Gaeudo; 5 in North Jeolla Province, including Seonyudo and Eocheongdo; 35 in South Jeolla Province, including Geomundo and Ando; 2 in North Gyeongsang Province, including Ulleungdo and Dokdo; 17 in South Gyeongsang Province, including Jisimdo and Yokjido; and 4 on Jeju, including Biyangdo and Gapado.
Travel information for the selected islands is available on the ministry's website.
To promote the islands and encourage travel to them, the ministry will hold a visit-verification event running 88 days from Wednesday through Sept. 27.
Visitors who travel to one of the designated islands and complete a verification check-in will be eligible to enter a prize draw.
The more islands a participant visits, the greater the rewards.
The top three visitors will each receive 880,000 won ($571) in Onnuri gift certificates, while 10 runners-up will each receive certificates worth 200,000 won. An additional 88 participants will be selected by lottery to receive prizes worth 50,000 won each.
Meanwhile, the seventh Islands Day commemorative event will be held Aug. 6–9 at the Yeosu World Expo site under the theme "Romantic Recharge, Islands."
Kim Gun-ho, director general of the ministry's balanced development bureau, said islands are "a precious national asset that holds beautiful natural scenery, abundant food, and distinctive history and culture." He added that he hopes the event will allow more people to experience the charm of Korea's islands firsthand and create special, lasting travel memories.
thlee@heraldcorp.com
