Introducing Naminara Republic ②

Naminara Republic

Naminara Republic is a cultural tourism brand by Nami Island for visitors traveling its imaginary world. The Naminara Republic, which declared its cultural independence from the Republic of Korea, has its own diplomatic and cultural policies. Naminara celebrates the imagination and shares its beautiful fairy tales and songs with guests from all over the world.

 

Nami Island, Inc.

Nami Island, a tourism company that owns and manages the island, is located in 1 Namisum-gil, Namsan-myeon, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do. Nami Island has emerged as one of the must-visit places not only among Korean tourists but also among foreign tourists, with a growing number of them visiting the island. In fact, in 2016, 1,300,000 foreign visitors from 122 countries came to the island, and the island has 3,300,000 visitors in total annually.

 

Nami Island was formed as a result of the construction of Cheongpyeong Dam in 1944. In 1965, Sujae Minn Byeong Do purchased and started to forest this wasteland. In 1966, Kyeongchun Tourism Development, Inc. was established to build the tourist facilities. In April of 2000, it changed the company name to Nami Island, Inc. to overcome the 1997-98 Korean Financial Crisis.

 

Since 2001, Nami Island has expanded contents related to environment, art and culture. For the environment, Nami Island has cooperated with environmental organizations such as Environmental Education Center, YMCA and YWCA to operate programs including hands-on recycling programs, environmental education programs, environmental monitoring and eco-friendly development. For the community, education and welfare, Nami Island has supported regional high schools, multicultural single mother support centers, and the Heritage of Korean Independence. For culture & arts, Nami Island has sponsored international institutions such as UNICEF and UNESCO, and has provided opportunities for artists in various fields including fine arts and festivals.

 

In 1960 ~ 90, Nami Island was known for Winter Wanderer by the novelist, Choi In-ho and Gangbyeon Song Festival. Then, as the shooting location of the 2001 KBS television series Winter Sonata, there was a dramatic increase of tourists especially from Asian countries including Taiwan, Japan and China. Today, Nami Island is known as an international tourist spot with beautiful natural environment that attracts more tourists from all over the world.

 

On Nami Island, there are a variety of cultural spaces – The Song Museum, Liuseum – The Liu Collection of World Musical Instruments, Pyeonghwarang Gallery, Nami Gallery, Kid’s Land (International Children’s Library), Culture House, Nami Island Handicraft Studio, Yu Qing Cheng’s Happy Garden Sculpture Gallery, UNICEF Hall and Andersen Picture Book Center. Also, Hotel Jeonggwanru features guestrooms by different artists including painters, craftsmen and craftswomen, writers and even singers – each of whom added his or her own distinctive touches. Nami Island Arts & Education is also host to over 600 performances, exhibitions and festivals annually. This is a remarkable number among the domestic tourist spots.