Yeongcheon mayor, North Gyeongsang Province agree to jointly pursue Korea Racing Authority headquarters relocation

Yeongcheon City in North Gyeongsang Province will join forces with the provincial government to pursue the relocation of the Korea Racing Authority's headquarters to the city.

Yeongcheon Mayor Kim Byeong-sam visited North Gyeongsang Province Governor Lee Cheol-woo at the provincial government office Wednesday, where the two agreed to jointly push for the move, the city said.

At the meeting, Kim said a medium- to long-term development strategy linking the successful operation of the Yeongcheon Racecourse with the Korea Racing Authority headquarters relocation was essential to establishing Yeongcheon as a new hub of South Korea's horse industry, particularly in light of the racecourse's upcoming opening.

Kim said that if the Korea Racing Authority headquarters relocated to Yeongcheon, the city could build a full industry ecosystem centered on the racecourse — attracting horse-industry institutions and companies, training specialized personnel, and expanding research and education functions.

"The relocation of the Korea Racing Authority headquarters should not be treated as Yeongcheon's project alone, but approached as a strategic initiative at the North Gyeongsang Province level to secure new growth engines and achieve balanced regional development," Kim said. "We will build a close cooperative framework with North Gyeongsang Province and make sure we deliver results."

The meeting also covered key pending projects aimed at securing future growth drivers for Yeongcheon under the city's ninth elected administration.

Kim asked for North Gyeongsang Province's policy and administrative support for several initiatives: construction of a K-pop dome linked to the Yeongcheon Racecourse and development of a cultural tourism industry; creation of a future mobility industrial complex drawing on the city's existing automotive industry base; and development of a defense industry complex on a former munitions depot site released from military facility protection zone restrictions.

Kim said the K-pop dome project was a key initiative to keep racecourse visitors in the area and boost cultural and tourism spending. He said the city was reviewing a business model in which North Gyeongsang Province and Yeongcheon would support investment attraction and infrastructure development while private investment takes the lead.

"Large-scale projects that will transform Yeongcheon's future cannot succeed through the city's efforts alone," Kim said. "We will build a cooperative framework with North Gyeongsang Province to engage the central government, the National Assembly, public institutions and private companies."