With the $40,000 national income era ahead and the marine leisure industry emerging as a new growth pillar, local governments nationwide are joining a race to invest in related infrastructure. Facilities for diving, surfing, and marinas, which had expanded mainly in the private sector, have recently spread to public-led projects. As competition among local governments to capture demand for stay-type tourism intensifies, regional development projects centered on marine leisure are also gaining speed.
The marine leisure industry is regarded as a representative consumer industry that grows alongside rising national income. Once income reaches a certain level, the share of experiential and leisure spending becomes markedly larger than simple tourism. In advanced economies such as the United States and Europe, yachting, surfing, and diving have already taken root as mainstream leisure industries.
◇ Boseong County to build a domestic top-tier 41-meter diving pool
According to Boseong County in South Jeolla on the 16th, the county is pushing to complete the Yulpo Marine Complex Center, now being created in Yulpo Tourist Site in Hoecheon-myeon, with a target for completion in June 2027. The facility, with a total project cost of 48.4 billion won, will have one basement level and five floors above ground, with a total floor area of 9,046 square meters. The core facility is an ultra-deep diving pool with a depth of about 41 meters. Once completed, it is expected to be the deepest in Korea and among the largest in Asia.
The project was selected for the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries' Marine Leisure Tourism Hub Creation Project and is being carried out by injecting national and local funds. In addition to the diving pool, it will be developed as a complex marine leisure facility equipped with an indoor surfing venue, water-play facilities, an underwater studio, and rest areas. Boseong County plans to foster it as a stay-type tourism hub that can operate year-round.
Domestic diving infrastructure has already expanded rapidly, led by the private sector. Deep Station (36 meters) in Yongin, Gyeonggi; Paradive35 (35 meters) in Siheung; and K-26 (26 meters) in Gapyeong are representative examples. With Boseong and Deep Square (about 40 meters) in Yongin joining, Korea's ultra-deep diving infrastructure is expected to expand another step.
The deepest diving pool in the world at present is a 60-meter facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Next are facilities of 46 meters in China, 45 meters in Poland, and 42 meters in Italy. When the Boseong and Yongin facilities are completed, Korea will rise to a country with three to four top-10-level diving pools worldwide.
Cho U-jeong, a professor in the Department of Marine Sports at Korea Maritime University, said, "Since COVID-19, demand for freediving has surged, especially among younger people," and noted, "The trend of the peak season for marine leisure itself lengthening due to climate change is also affecting market expansion."
◇ Wave of large-scale marine tourism projects spreads
Marine leisure development projects are spreading nationwide. In particular, with the enforcement last year of the Marine Leisure Tourism Promotion Act, the government has moved to foster related industries, and large-scale projects are following one after another.
In Gunsan, North Jeolla, the Ocean Palette development has entered the final stage. A complex marine leisure park that combines an artificial wave pool, an indoor surfing venue, and an experiential diving pool is being promoted with the goal of opening this year.
Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang, Pohang in North Gyeongsang, and Yeosu in South Jeolla were selected late last year for the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries' Complex Marine Leisure Tourism City project and are each preparing developments worth 1 trillion won. The core is building stay-type tourism infrastructure that combines marinas, yachts, and accommodations, and the formation of a marine leisure belt centered on the South Coast is also being pursued.
Projects are continuing in the greater Seoul area and along the East Coast. Siheung in Gyeonggi is strengthening its role as a marine leisure hub centered on deep diving facilities and a marina, and Jinhae in Changwon and Dong-gu in Ulsan have also been selected for marine leisure tourism hub projects and are building infrastructure. Coastal local governments such as Yangyang and Boryeong are also joining public competitions centered on surfing and marine experience facilities, heightening competition in region-specific strategies.
The marine tourism market is also growing quickly. According to the Korea Maritime Institute (KMI)'s 2026 Maritime and Fisheries Strategy Report, the coastal visitor population will increase from about 1.45 billion in 2025 to about 1.86 billion in 2035, and tourism spending will also expand from about 37.5 trillion won to 47.2 trillion won over the same period.
However, experts note that the market does not grow on large-scale facility investment alone. Professor Cho said, "Like freediving or surfing, the demand base that naturally formed in the private sector must grow together for the industry to be sustainable," and added, "Rather than increasing large infrastructure, how you design actual user demand and operating structures will decide the success or failure of the projects."