Lee Min-keun, the mayor of Ansan, expressed his commitment on August 9 to establish a unique marine healing foundation in Ansan by leveraging the experiences from Usedom, a prominent marine healing resort in Germany.
During his visit, Mayor Lee toured the Usedom Marine Healing Center and a rehabilitation hospital, examining local healing programs, facility operations, professional staffing, and user-centered services.
Currently in Germany, Mayor Lee is experiencing advanced marine healing and rehabilitation systems firsthand and has signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation with the Usedom Marine Healing Rehabilitation Hospital, aiming to develop a new healing and rehabilitation model utilizing Ansan's marine resources.
He particularly engaged in various programs, including a 'Children's Healing Forest' and activities like mist spraying and yoga, assessing the facilities and programs from a user perspective.
This visit was not merely a facility tour; it involved a detailed examination of the healing process, user flow, and facility convenience, which is significant for finding a practical operational model applicable to the future Ansan Marine Healing Center.
Mayor Lee held discussions with Usedom officials, exchanging insights on operational experiences in marine healing and rehabilitation, program development, professional training, and facility management systems.
The focus of their collaboration is to evolve marine healing beyond mere tourism into an industry linked to health management and rehabilitation.
Following this, they signed a memorandum of understanding for 'Cooperation in Marine Healing and Rehabilitation,' which includes sharing information and operational cases, collaborating on healing process development, training professionals, sharing facility management systems, and identifying joint projects.
With Mayor Lee's direct engagement and the establishment of an international cooperation foundation, this collaboration is expected to lead to a new regional industry model that combines tourism, health, and rehabilitation utilizing Ansan's marine resources.
Local citizens have expressed optimism about this international collaboration.
Residents believe that given Ansan's rich marine and natural environment, including Daebudo and Shihwa Lake, it is essential to create differentiated marine healing programs tailored to the local environment and community rather than simply adopting foreign models.
One citizen stated, "Ansan has many resources that can differentiate it from other cities, such as the sea, islands, and Shihwa Lake. I hope that by referencing Germany's advanced operational methods, we can develop marine healing facilities and programs that citizens can actually use and experience."
Another citizen remarked, "If marine healing can not only attract tourists but also contribute to citizens' health management and invigorate the local economy, it would be significant. I hope this international cooperation leads to tangible projects rather than being a one-time visit."
Mayor Lee Min-keun noted, "Through this visit, I was able to directly experience marine healing and confirm what facilities and operational methods are needed from a user perspective."
He added, "Having established a practical foundation for exchange and cooperation with the Usedom Marine Healing Center and Rehabilitation Hospital, I will actively integrate their excellent operational experiences to fit Ansan's conditions."
Meanwhile, Mayor Lee plans to continuously share advanced marine healing and rehabilitation experiences from Usedom and develop programs and operational systems suited to Ansan's marine environment and regional characteristics.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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