[Edaily Kang Gyeong-rok Travel Reporter] Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province, is an industrial city home to 14 industrial complexes and three agro-industrial complexes. While it wasn’t known for many tourist attractions, the situation began to change as residents started combining closed schools, villages, agricultural products, and industrial facilities into travel packages. In Yeonggwang, South Jeolla Province, residents transformed a closed school into a multi-purpose cultural space featuring a café, a handmade burger shop, and a woodworking workshop; in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, they are expanding the story of “Grandma Bab”—who is said to have played a key role during the Imjin War—into a themed street, a memorial festival, and performances.
Three key figures who have transformed the people, spaces, and stories already present in their regions into tourism ventures will meet on the 17th at the Goyang Flower Exhibition Hall in Gyeonggi Province. The event will take place during the “Local Content Success Stories” session of “2026 Content Universe Korea.” Starting at 11:30 a.m., Lee A-ri, CEO of Glocal Town; Lim Hyun-cheol, Chairman of the Goyang Grandma Bob Preservation Committee; and Cha Sang-hyuk, Program Director of the Gwangju and Jeonnam Regional Tourism Dure at the Korea Tourism Organization, will take the stage in that order.

The first presentation will be by CEO Lee A-ri, titled “Escaping the Tourism Wasteland with Eumseong County Residents.” The transformation of Eumseong began not by building new tourist facilities, but by establishing residents as the driving force behind the tourism industry. A prime example is the former Sajeong Elementary School, which had been abandoned for 27 years after closing in 1995. Alumni joined forces to remodel the school, and it reopened in 2021 as the “Solbu-eongi Campground.” The campground features a snack bar, a café, and a kids’ café, and it also hosts local specialty markets and festivals.
The “Saengsaeng Village Travel Agency,” established by residents, has developed the ecological environment of Saenggeok-myeon into travel products. The Kkotdongne Bakery has created job opportunities for students with disabilities while also producing local souvenirs. As businesses offering lodging, travel, food and beverage, hands-on experiences, and souvenirs were established around the “Tourism Dure” cooperative, resources that had been scattered throughout the region were connected into a single tourism network.
A total of 48 such travel packages have been developed (2022–2025). The range of sectors has also expanded, from industrial tourism to rural, village, ecological, and festival tourism. In 2024, 13 residents from Vietnam, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and China were trained as local guides. This initiative involved foreign residents living in the area not merely as tourists, but as active participants who personally introduce the region.
Taking the stage for the second time, Chairman Lim Hyun-cheol brings up Goyang’s “Grandma Bab.” “Grandma Bob” is a figure featured in local folklore who, during the Imjin War, deceived Japanese troops by piling rice straw on Nojeokbong Peak of Bukhansan Mountain and scattering fish meal into the Changneung Stream, and who, during the Battle of Haengju, carried stones alongside local women. Residents are now reviving these scattered stories as local historical and cultural content.

It all began in 2002 with the “Grandma Bob Preservation Committee,” formed by 15 residents. The residents set out to return the “Grandma Bob” stone statue—which had been relocated—to the village, and both the statue and the Dongsan-dong stone monument cluster were designated as Goyang City Local Cultural Heritage Sites No. 46 and No. 47. Since 2004, an annual memorial service has been held.
The story extended into the physical landscape. At Bab Halmeoni Park, the 4.6-kilometer-long “Bab Halmeoni Wisdom Trail” was created, connecting the library, Kkotmaeji Park, and the Changneung Stream walking path. Work is also underway to weave together the related stories scattered across Mount Bukhan’s Nojeokbong Peak, Haengju Mountain Fortress, and Heungguk Temple into a single historical and cultural narrative. Plans are also in place to expand the intellectual property (IP) into films, webtoons, music, musicals, and tourism.
The final feature is “Seoro Village” in Yeonggwang, South Jeolla Province, introduced by Producer Cha Sang-hyeok. It all began with a closed school. Residents renovated the abandoned school themselves, transforming it into a multi-purpose cultural space featuring a café, a handmade burger shop, a woodworking workshop, a forest playground, and a walking trail. Through the “Tourism Dure” project, the café—which started in a single classroom—expanded to occupy the entire first floor of the school building, and food and beverage services as well as woodworking programs were added. Currently, approximately 20,000 people visit the site annually.
On the 17th, the three speakers plan to provide a detailed account of the process by which they identified existing local resources and transformed them into tourism products and businesses, as well as their operational experiences.
Meanwhile, “2026 Content Universe Korea” (October 16–17) will be held under the theme “The Infinitely Expanding Content Economy: Connecting Creators, IP, and Fandom.” Over the two days, the event will feature a series of lectures by 24 domestic and international experts, as well as various exhibitions and hands-on programs, including a “Toy Story” pop-up store by The Walt Disney Company Korea and a flea market hosted by popular influencers. The admission fee is 10,000 won per person, but attendees can enter for free by pre-registering on the website by 5:00 p.m. on the 15th. A prize giveaway will also be held for pre-registered attendees, with prizes including international airline tickets and hotel stays awarded via a random drawing.