The UN World Tourism Organization(UNWTO) has included two South Korean villages in its list of the Best Tourism Villages which was drafted for the first time this year. 

The specialized UN agency convened a general assembly in Madrid on Thursday and drew up the list which includes a total of 44 villages from 32 countries, including South Korea’s Purple Island and Ungok Village.  

The agency launched the Best Tourism Villages initiative in a bid to address regional imbalance and decline in the rural population. Only villages with less than 15-thousand residents are eligible. 

The culture ministry in Sejong said the Purple Island successfully transformed itself into a popular tourist destination after painting houses and facilities purple as well as planting purple flowers, including lavender. The Purple Island refers to the Banwol and Bakji Islands in Shinan County in South Jeolla Province which have a population of some 130. 

The ministry said the Ungok Village in Gochang County in North Jeolla Province with a population of around 380 sought to tackle aging society and a decline in population by devising tourism packages involving the Ungok wetland which is registered as a Ramsar wetland.