Gov’t Designates Herb Market in Seoul as Special Zone
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As part of efforts to boost balanced regional development, eight additional regions in Korea have been selected as special development zones. For the first time, an herb medicine market in a district of Seoul has been tapped for concentrated development. In line with efforts to boost Korea’s herb medicine industry, the Korean government has selected a herb medicine market in Dongdaemun in eastern Seoul as a special development zone. This decision was made at an economic meeting chaired by Finance and Economy Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday. In accordance, the Dongdaemun district office plans to develop the herb medicine market into a vast herb industrial center by 2008. This is also the first time a district in Seoul has been designated as a special development zone. Besides the district of Dongdaemun, the government selected seven other municipalities across the country as special zones. The designated regions include Wanju district in North Jeolla Province for a female herb medicine clinic center and Andong city in North Gyeongsang Province for a hemp cultivation center. Officials with the finance and economy ministry said the special zones would not only enhance the business and distribution of herb medicine, but also lure more tourists to Korea. The government plans to ease regulations for developing these regions, including abolishing real estate laws that restrict land use. Herbal medicine, composed of roots, flowers and branches, is a traditional treatment method that had been in use in Korea over 2000 years to cure a variety of diseases and conditions by using natural herbs. Source : english.chosun.com |