Anseong Mayor Kim Bo-ra Visits National Assembly to Legislate Sustainable Tourism

Anseong Mayor Kim Bo-ra, serving as standing chair of the Sustainable Tourism Local Government Council, has embarked on full-scale efforts to institutionalize sustainable tourism.

Mayor Kim visited the National Assembly on the 24th and met with Lee Jae-jeong, Chairman of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, and National Assembly Member Kim Jae-won, proposing expedited processing of a partial amendment to the ‘Tourism Promotion Act’ that includes ‘designation of sustainable tourism cities’ as a major provision.

The visit was accompanied by Kim Bo-ra, standing chair of the Sustainable Tourism Local Government Council, Kim Je-seon, co-chair (Daejeon Jung-gu District Mayor), and Sohn Bae-chan, vice chair (Paju Mayor), among others.

During the National Assembly visit, the group explained the necessity of sustainable tourism policies that can go beyond tourism policies centered on attracting visitors and expanding facilities to simultaneously realize local economic revitalization, improved quality of life for residents, and preservation of cultural and environmental resources, and requested the National Assembly's attention and cooperation.

In particular, the council proposed to the National Assembly △processing of the partial amendment to the ‘Tourism Promotion Act’ containing ‘designation of sustainable tourism cities’ by the latter half of 2026 △securing budgets for implementing pilot projects in sustainable tourism △establishing administrative and financial support systems to back local governments’ policy implementation.

The amendment was jointly sponsored by National Assembly Members Min Hyung-bae and Kim Jae-won on May 29, 2025, and contains the basis for designation of sustainable tourism cities, performance evaluation, and administrative and financial support. It is currently referred to the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee’s bill examination subcommittee.

Anseong Mayor Kim Bo-ra said, “Sustainable tourism is an important policy that goes beyond simply increasing the number of tourists to preserving the region’s culture and environment while adding vitality to the local economy and improving residents’ quality of life,” adding “As standing chair of the council, I will play an active role in establishing a legal and institutional foundation so that sustainable tourism can take root as a practical engine for regional growth.”

The council plans to continue visiting relevant organizations including the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to raise awareness of the need for legislation on sustainable tourism cities, and to continue policy consultations to establish realistic designation, evaluation, and support systems that take into account regional scale and fiscal conditions.