A master plan rendering for the Homi Peninsula National Marine Ecology Park development project in Pohang. [Pohang City]
A master plan rendering for the Homi Peninsula National Marine Ecology Park development project in Pohang. [Pohang City]

A project to build a national marine ecology park on Pohang's Homi Peninsula has cleared a preliminary feasibility review, paving the way for a 100.7 billion won ($75.6 million) investment.

Pohang city said the Homi Peninsula National Marine Ecology Park development project received final approval from the Ministry of Planning and Budget's preliminary feasibility review on Friday.

Running from 2027 to 2031, the project will draw a total of 100.7 billion won — including 70.5 billion won in national funds — to conserve and restore marine ecological resources and build infrastructure for ecological tourism.

Key components include creating seagrass and eelgrass beds off Homigot, protecting sea turtles, and developing a Homi Peninsula conservation center, a deep-sea experience marine school and a salmon waterway garden.

Pohang city has worked to refine its project plan and coordinate with related agencies — including North Gyeongsang Province and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries — since the project was selected as a preliminary feasibility review candidate in 2022.

The city plans to develop the Homi Peninsula into a leading ecological tourism hub on the East Sea coast, combining marine ecosystem conservation, education and tourism, drawing on a 106.7-kilometer coastline and a 71.77-square-kilometer marine protected area.

The project will also be linked to efforts to designate the Homi Peninsula as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, with the aim of establishing an internationally recognized marine ecology conservation and management framework.

"We will work closely with relevant agencies to carry out follow-up procedures without delay and develop the Homi Peninsula into South Korea's premier hub for marine ecology conservation, education and tourism," Pohang Mayor Park Yong-seon said.


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