？ Competing to become one of Korea’s top 100 local attractions through citizen online voting ？
？ Whale Culture Village, filled with Nam-gu’s culture and emotion, is now in the running for the nation’s Top 100 Local Destinations ？

Ulsan Nam-gu (Mayor Dong-wook Seo) announced that Whale Culture Village has been selected as Ulsan’s sole representative candidate in the online national vote for the “2nd Local 100 (2026？2027)” project, organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Regional Culture and Development Agency.

The Local 100 initiative aims to identify and promote representative cultural assets that highlight each region’s unique identity, led by local residents and shared nationwide. Out of 200 candidates, 100 sites will ultimately be selected.

Whale Culture Village, which has made the shortlist, is a complex cultural space that combines the identity of whales and the industrial city of Ulsan. By reinterpreting traces of the past whaling era into cultural and artistic content, it has become a symbolic tourist attraction representing “Ulsan, the City of Whales.”

In particular, it has gained fame as a stay-type tourist destination where citizens and visitors can enjoy seasonal cultural events, including the Whale Mural Alley, Whale-Watching Ferry, Whale Cultural District, Jangsaengpo Hydrangea Festival, and Horror Festival.

The current pool of candidates was narrowed down from 1,042 online recommendations collected in July, through expert evaluations and big data analysis based on online mentions, to 200 finalists.
The final 100 destinations will be selected by combining the results of this public online vote with expert reviews. Voting is open until October 31 on the official Local 100 website (https://www.rcda.or.kr/local100/vote).

Each voter can select five favorites among the 200 candidates, and participants will be entered into a prize draw for various gifts.

The final results will be announced at the end of this year.

Mayor Dong-wook Seo said, “Jangsaengpo Whale Culture Village is Ulsan’s tourism landmark, and through this national vote, we hope it will once again be recognized as a cultural tourism attraction that captivates not only Korea but also the world. I encourage everyone to show support and vote for Whale Culture Village on the official Local 100 website.”