Bibimbap is one of the trademark cuisines of Jeonju City
[Courtesy of Jeonju City official YouTube channel]
South Korea's southern city of Jeonju has been designated as a slow city by an international organization, five years after its credential was sent to a traditional folk village in the city which won plaudits from US legendary singer Michael Jackson.
Jeonju said Cittaslow International, the leader in a social trend of "slow movement", has designated the entire city as a "Slow City". Cittaslow was founded in Italy in 1999 to improve the quality of life in towns by slowing down its overall pace, especially in a city's use of spaces and the flow of life and traffic through them.
The city's folk village housing more than 700 traditional Korean "Hanok" houses were named by Cittaslow as a slow city in 2010. Since then it has become one of South Korea's most-visited tourist destinations, attracting almost ten million visitors last year.
The Hanok village retains its historical charms and traditions. Visitors can enjoy traditional Korean life and foods like bibimbap, one of the region's most well-known dishes, that fascinated Michael Jackson during his visit there in 1997.
Cittaslow's authorization in 2010 sparked the village's soaring popularity and its neighboring areas which are rich in historical assets including Confucian shrines and ancient buildings.
[Courtesy of Jeonju City official YouTube channel]
Jeonju itself has also emerged as an important tourist center, helped by a five-year campaign from city officials and citizens to preserve traditions, maintain landscapes of the Hanok village and nearby areas, and spread Cittaslow awareness across the city with a population of 650,000.
The city was regarded as the spiritual capital of the Joseon Dynasty because its royal family originated there. In 2012, it was chosen as a Creative Cities for Gastronomy as part of UNESCO's Creative Cities Network in recognition of the city's traditional home cooking handed down through generations, its active food research, and the hosting of distinctive food festivals.
City mayor Kim Seung-soo said Cittaslow has sent a letter of its certification after evaluating efforts in the past five years. "As a traditional city representing the Republic of Korea, Jeonju will grow further as a sustainable future city," he said in a video message published on the city's homepage.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
