OPENING OF JEODO ISLAND

[Anchor Lead]

President Moon Jae-in recently visited the small island of Jeodo, located close to his own hometown on Geojedo Island alongside members of the public. Access to Jeodo Island has been prohibited to the public for decades because it's home to a presidential ranch. President Moon pledged to open the scenic island to the public from September.

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Jeodo Island was officially designated as the site of a presidential ranch in 1972. Since then, several South Korean presidents have spent their summer vacations there. President Moon Jae-in visited the island recently along with some 100 members of the public. While the scenic island is off-limits to ordinary people, President Moon has promised to open it to the public from September. The move was one of his presidential campaign pledges.

[Soundbite] PRES. MOON JAE-IN : "It's a truly beautiful and special place. Seeing it now I am even more determined to let the public enjoy it, too."

President Moon expressed his hope that Jeodo Island will emerge as a popular tourist destination on Korea's southern coast. While introducing the island's history, Moon mentioned Admiral Yi Sun-sin.

[Soundbite] PRES. MOON JAE-IN : "The sea off Jeodo Island is the site of the Battle of Okpo, in which Admiral Yi Sun-sin first defeated Japanese invaders."

The family of the last resident who lived on the island back in the 1970s also attended the event. Jeodo Island will be opened to the public on a pilot basis for one year starting in mid-September. Up to 600 people will be permitted to visited the island daily, five days a week. Ferries will operate twice a day. Several strolling paths, as well as observatories, golf courses and beaches will also be open to the public. However, the presidential ranch, Cheonghaedae will remain off-limits because of its status as a military facility. Residents of Jeodo Island were forced to leave the island because it was used as a military base during the Japanese colonial period and during the Korean War. Since then, the island has been managed by the Navy.