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Islands of Korea, Islands of the World  Yeonpyeongdo’s                                                                                                                                                                                        Island Story
                Dreaming of





               Tomorrow



                  At 21,the Youngest Leader of
                  an Island Specialization Project


                Q1. How do you feel about being appointed
                Leader of the Specialization Project
                Promoters’ Committee for Yeonpyeongdo?
                What are your thoughts on your term in
                office?
                Hello, I’m Yeonwoo Kim, currently serving as
                Leader of the Island Regional Specialization
                Project Promoters’ Committee for Yeonpyeongdo
                Island. The title of “Leader” feels both weighty and
                humbling, but more than anything, I feel a deep
                sense of excitement—because what was once a
                dream to help develop Yeonpyeongdo is now taking
                                                                                                                                               Q4. How long have you lived on Yeonpye-            Ultimately, I envision Yeonpyeongdo as a place
                shape in reality. The duration of my term is still under                           Yeonpyeongdo
                                                                                                 Island Specialization                         ongdo? Have you ever spent time away               where different generations complement one
                internal discussion and will be finalized through
                                                                                                    Project Lead                               from the island?                                   another, embracing diversity rather than division.
      Vol.03    incorporation. That said, I hope to serve as long as                                                                           I lived here as a child with my parents for a short
                possible and will give my utmost effort in this role.
                                                                                                 Interview with                                while, then moved to the mainland during middle    Q6. What are your goals and plans moving
                                                                                                  Kim Yeonwoo                                  school. I returned during high school and have been   forward?
                Q2. You’re the youngest Leader among the
                                                                                                                                               here ever since. In total, I’ve spent around 10 years
                island communities. What motivated you to
                                                                                                                                               on Yeonpyeongdo—nearly half my life.              The first step of the 2024 project was forming the
                take on such a challenging role?                                                                                                                                                  Promoters’ Committee and laying out a general plan.
                                                                                                                                               During the pivotal years when I was deciding
                That’s right. To my knowledge, I’m the youngest    But the encouragement I received from the committee and                     my future path, my affection for the island only
                person to serve as a Leader for any of the island   the PM team gave me the courage to move forward. Their                     deepened. That’s why I chose to stay.             That’s now largely complete. The next phase is to set
                specialization project committees. It’s something   message—“We’ll be your support, so trust us and give it a                                                                     clear objectives and expand both the project and
                                                                                                                                                                                                  the committee’s capabilities. There’s still so much to
                I’m proud of, but it also comes with a great sense   try”—was incredibly empowering.
                                                                                                                                                                                                  do, and the scope is wide—but my ultimate goal is to
                of responsibility. Initially, I had many concerns—                                                                             Q5. What would you like to see from                raise awareness of Yeonpyeongdo and contribute to
                mostly because of my age. I worried about how                                                                                  KIDI, the central government, or local             its growth. I’m fully committed to doing everything I
                others might view me and questioned whether I was                                                                              authorities? And what’s your vision for            can to make that happen.
                capable enough for the job.
                                                                                                                                               the future of Yeonpyeongdo?
                                                                                                                                               Thanks to the Island Specialization Project, we’re
                                                                   Q3. Tell us something you love about Yeonpyeong-                            beginning to see progress toward revitalizing the   Q7. Any message for people planning to
                                                                   do and your village. What led you to settle on the                          local economy and realizing the goal of resident-led   visit Yeonpyeongdo?
                                                                   island?                                                                     development. But from the perspective of a young
                                                                                                                                                                                                  We’re working hard to make sure the Yeonpyeongdo
                                                                                                                                               person living on Yeonpyeongdo, I would love to see
                                                                   Yeonpyeongdo is a wonderfully quiet and peaceful place.                                                                        you visit tomorrow is even more beautiful than it is
                                                                                                                                               more diverse projects that actively involve youth.
                                                                   Here, you can find the kind of calm that’s nearly impossible                                                                   today. Please come and experience the charm of our
                                                                                                                                                                                                  island firsthand.
                                                                   to experience in today’s fast-paced society. That tranquility               It’s disheartening to see so many young people
                                                                   and warmth, combined with the closeness to nature,                          leaving the island. Also, since Yeonpyeongdo is   Thank you!
                                                                   deeply appealed to me—and it’s what made me stay.                           home to a military base, I believe it’s important to
                                                                                                                                               create an environment where military personnel and
                                                                                                                                               residents can coexist and support one another.
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