Yeongcheon horse racing park to open Friday

Let's Run Park Yeongcheon, a horse racing complex long sought by Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, will open for full operations 17 years after the site was selected in 2009.

The Korea Racing Authority said it will open the grandstand facilities at Let's Run Park Yeongcheon on Friday and hold a public opening ceremony with local residents on Sunday.

The fourth Let's Run Park in South Korea — after Seoul (Gwacheon), Jeju and Busan-Gyeongnam — is expected to become the largest horse industry and leisure destination in the Yeongnam region, equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure. The Sunday opening ceremony, to be held on a special outdoor stage in front of the grandstand, will be attended by local lawmakers and municipal leaders. The inaugural commemorative race will be accompanied by a taekwondo demonstration by the Arirang Taemoo Corps and a performance by the Army 3rd Officers Academy military band.

With this opening, Yeongcheon completes the first full inland horse industry cycle in the country — spanning production, training, welfare, racing and tourism. The city had already established the Unjusan Equestrian Training Center in 2009 and, in 2015, became the first inland area outside Jeju to be designated a horse industry special zone.

The most distinctive feature setting Yeongcheon apart from the three existing parks is the country's first "regional circuit racing" system. Racehorses will be based in Busan-Gyeongnam and transported to Yeongcheon on race days — a model already common in the United States, Japan and Hong Kong. Twelve races are scheduled at Yeongcheon in September, with 72 races to be held over 12 weeks in the second half of the year.

Given the increased travel demands on the horses, significant attention has been paid to their welfare. Following the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities' guidelines on equine transport welfare, the authority commissioned 13 dedicated 13.5-ton vibration-free transport vehicles. Each is fitted with climate-control air conditioning, adjustable partitions and special rubber flooring to prevent injuries — and, for the first time in South Korea, real-time GPS tracking and a classical music broadcast system.

The grandstand, designed with a terraced hanok-inspired aesthetic, 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 feature solar panel canopies as part of the facility's carbon neutrality commitment.

The opening of Let's Run Park Yeongcheon carries significance beyond simply expanding leisure options. It is expected to create new local jobs and draw large numbers of tourists, giving a major boost to the local economy. Significant improvements to transport infrastructure are also on the horizon: the planned extension of Daegu Metro Line 1 to Yeongcheon, combined with the opening of Geumho and Daechang smart interchange ramps, will position Yeongcheon as a well-connected transport hub and a destination city for extended-stay tourism.

"Let's Run Park Yeongcheon is the fourth racing park to open after Seoul, Jeju and Busan-Gyeongnam, and it will be more than just a racing facility — it will be a new engine of growth that breathes vitality into the regional economy," Korea Racing Authority Chairman Woo Hee-jong said. "We will make it the warmest co-prosperity landmark that becomes a source of pride for Yeongcheon residents and shares in the hardships of the community."