Gangwon Province is considering a plan to turn one of its beaches into the country’s first-ever nudist beach, a state-run institute in charge of maritime attractions in the region said Wednesday.

“In the course of coming up with a new policy ... some people mentioned a nudist beach as a possibility,” an official from the East Sea Headquarters of Gangwon Province told The Korea Herald. The province, some 214 kilometers east of Seoul, hosts various well-known tourist sites.

According to the official, the nudist beach idea was spawned as part of the institute’s bid to come up with a unique attraction to draw tourists from across the country.

Earlier in the day, local media reported that the organization was planning to select the site for the new beach next year, and construct related infrastructure from 2015 to 2016. The beach would first operate on a trial basis in 2017, according to the reports.

The unnamed official, however, denied the reports and said that neither the timeline nor specific plans for the beach had been set yet.

Gangwon had already attempted to designate some areas along the eastern coast as nudist beaches. The plan was scrapped after it came under a firestorm of criticism from locals who raised concerns about a possible spike in sex crimes.

On Tuesday, the East Sea Headquarters of Gangwon Province revealed a series of plans to spur the tourism industry in the area, including seaside leisure activities such as scuba diving and surfing, as well as cruise tourism. It also plans to establish specialized beaches, such as for families and people with pets.

By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)