Busan City (Mayor Jeon Jae-soo) announced yesterday (the 1st) that the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has designated the Dongnae Hot Springs district in Dongnae-gu as the nation's fourth official "Hot Spring City."

This designation marks the second wave of official hot spring cities following the initial designation of three regions in 2023—Suanbo Hot Springs in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province; Onyang Hot Springs in Asan, South Chungchong Province; and Bugok Hot Springs in Changnyeong, South Gyeongsang Province. Notably, Dongnae Hot Springs was selected individually this time.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety conducted a comprehensive evaluation based on the hot spring city master plan, which included on-site inspections and expert reviews. Dongnae Hot Springs was selected after a thorough assessment of its thermal resources, urban accessibility, growth potential, and differentiated development strategies.

An official "Hot Spring City" is a designation granted by the Minister of the Interior and Safety under the Hot Springs Act. It comprehensively considers the excellence of hot spring resources, efforts to revitalize hot spring tourism, the potential for fostering the hot spring industry, and contributions to regional economic vitalization.

The Dongnae Hot Springs district possesses strong competitiveness as a downtown hot spring city, backed by a 1,400-year history, 70.3°C thermal water, and outstanding accessibility.

As one of Busan's representative hot spring tourism resources dating back to the Three Kingdoms period, it boasts a history of approximately 1,400 years. In particular, it features high-temperature thermal water reaching up to 70.3°C and exceptional water quality containing silica components.

Located in the heart of the city with convenient transportation networks including Busan Subway Lines 1, 3, and 4, as well as the Donghae Line, it offers superior accessibility. Drawing upon its robust infrastructure, including various hot spring facilities, it attracts approximately 2 million visitors annually.

Furthermore, its close proximity to natural, historical, and cultural tourism resources—such as Geumjeongsan National Park and Dongnae Eupseong Fortress—provides an ideal environment to develop into a stay-over tourism hub connecting thermal waters with surrounding attractions.

Capitalizing on this designation, Busan City plans to nurture Dongnae Hot Springs beyond traditional bath-centric tourism, transforming it into an urban hot spring tourism city that integrates healing, relaxation, hands-on experiences, and sightseeing.

To achieve this, the city will construct a "Hot Spring Healing Center" to provide professional aquatic therapy services and build a "Hot Spring Complex Experience Facility," creating a hot spring-friendly city where citizens and tourists can enjoy thermal waters in their daily lives.

Additionally, the city intends to expand tourism contents by developing specialized products under the "Dongnae Hot Springs Brand" and hosting the "Dongnae Hot Spring Festival," thereby injecting fresh vitality into the local economy.

Busan City expects this designation to re-illuminate the value of Dongnae Hot Springs, which carries a 1,400-year legacy, and serve as a stepping stone to elevate Busan's competitiveness in hot spring tourism to the next level.

Mayor Jeon Jae-soo stated, "The solo designation of Dongnae Hot Springs as the nation's fourth hot spring city, following Suanbo, Onyang, and Bugok in 2023, is a meaningful achievement recognizing the value of Dongnae Hot Springs, which features a 1,400-year history, outstanding thermal resources, and exceptional urban accessibility." He added, "Building upon this designation, we will seamlessly expand healing, relaxation, and tourism contents that leverage Dongnae Hot Springs' strengths, ensuring that the vitalization of hot spring tourism translates into new momentum for the regional economy."

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