Let's Run Park Yeongcheon to open Sept. 11 as South Korea's fourth horse racing park

Let's Run Park Yeongcheon, a long-sought project for the city of Yeongcheon in North Gyeongsang Province, will open for full operations next Thursday — 17 years after the site was selected in 2009.

The Korea Racing Authority said Thursday that the park will begin admitting visitors and conducting races on Sept. 11, with a formal opening ceremony for local residents to follow on Sept. 13.

Let's Run Park Yeongcheon becomes the country's fourth horse racing park, joining Let's Run Park Seoul in Gwacheon, Jeju and Busan-South Gyeongsang, and is equipped with the latest infrastructure.

The opening ceremony will be held on a special stage in front of the grandstand, with local lawmakers and municipal leaders among the dignitaries in attendance. The inaugural commemorative race will be accompanied by a taekwondo demonstration by the Arirang Taemu demonstration team and a performance by the Army 3rd Officers Academy military band.

As many as 28 place names related to horses remain in the Yeongcheon area.

The city opened the Unjusan Equestrian Training Center in 2009 and was designated as the first inland horse industry special zone outside Jeju in 2015. With the park now opening, Yeongcheon becomes the first inland city to complete a full horse industry cycle — spanning production, training, welfare, racing and tourism.

The biggest distinction from the existing three parks is the introduction of a "regional circuit racing" model, a first in South Korea. Racehorses will be stabled at the Busan-South Gyeongsang park and transported to Yeongcheon on race days.

The model is already common in the United States, Japan and Hong Kong. Yeongcheon will host 12 races in September, with 72 races scheduled over 12 weeks in the second half of the year.

With horses making more frequent journeys, the park invested heavily in equine welfare. Following the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities' guidelines on horse transport welfare, the authority commissioned 13 dedicated 13.5-ton vibration-free transport vehicles.

Each vehicle is fitted with an air conditioning system, adjustable partitions and special rubber flooring to prevent injuries. The vehicles also carry real-time GPS tracking systems and devices that play classical music for the horses — both firsts in South Korea.

The racetrack features two courses across eight distances, with a straight starting stretch of at least 150 meters to reduce the risk of early-race incidents.

The park's designers placed particular emphasis on making it a destination for visitors with no interest in racing.

The grandstand, designed with a tiered hanok-inspired facade, spans one below-ground floor and four above-ground floors and can accommodate 3,500 spectators.

The infield will be developed into a large eco-friendly waterfront park, and the 1,746-space parking lot will be fitted with solar panel canopies as part of the park's carbon neutrality commitment.

"Let's Run Park Yeongcheon will go beyond being a simple horse racing facility and serve as a new growth engine that invigorates the local economy," Korea Racing Authority Chairman Woo Hee-jong said. "We will make it a landmark of warm co-prosperity that becomes a source of pride for Yeongcheon residents and shares in the hardships of the community."