Chuncheon mayor vows to revitalize downtown amid concerns over provincial office relocation

Chuncheon Mayor Yu Dong-han marked 100 days in office under the seventh round of local elections by pledging to revitalize the city's historic downtown and develop Chuncheon into a garden city. He described the downtown as the embodiment of Chuncheon's charm — a place that holds the memories many Koreans associate with the city.

Chuncheon long held the top spot among domestic tourist destinations, but its ranking has steadily slipped as marketing efforts centered on the downtown and lakeside areas have lost momentum.

Yu also outlined several other priorities: building out a thermal-energy cluster without delay, strengthening Chuncheon's standing as a global hub for taekwondo, and pushing ahead with a more focused youth policy.

Marking his 100th day in office Thursday, Yu said the city would pursue both short-term measures — improving pedestrian environments, strengthening commercial content and clearing vacant spaces — and longer-term spatial restructuring of the downtown.

The city plans to draw up a concrete action plan for the "Ribbon Project," which would link transit-oriented development zones, urban regeneration innovation districts and the Bongui Mountain project. Yu said the plan would be presented to residents at a public briefing in December.

Concerns have grown that the downtown and historic core of Chuncheon could be hollowed out if Gangwon Province proceeds with plans to build a new provincial office near the Chuncheon tollgate at the city's southern edge.

Analysts say rebuilding on the current provincial office site could cut costs by about 40 percent, and opposition among Chuncheon residents to relocating and constructing a new building elsewhere has been growing.

On Sept. 1, Chuncheon received a report that a large cache of artifacts had been unearthed at the new provincial office site, conducted an on-site inspection and issued a construction stop order. The project is also the subject of an ongoing injunction filed by a civic group that has raised procedural objections.

Construction has now been halted for 48 days. The city has officially confirmed that a 20-day artifact survey turned up 388 items at the site. The fate of the new provincial office is a pivotal factor in Mayor Yu's downtown revitalization drive.

Another pillar of Yu's vision for Chuncheon is the pursuit of national garden status. The National Garden Material Center began a pilot operation this month, offering a first glimpse of the garden city future the city has been working toward. Yu held his 100-day press conference at the center on Wednesday.

On the thermal-energy convergence cluster, Chuncheon plans to attract companies that will grow alongside the city's future, using a selection process developed in consultation with South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and other relevant agencies. The city aims to build a foundation where eco-friendly data centers, AI industries and local businesses can grow together.

The recently broken-ground headquarters of World Taekwondo is targeted for completion in June 2028. Chuncheon plans to leverage its experience co-hosting international competitions with World Taekwondo to attract more global events, and to ensure that visitor stays translate into local spending on accommodation, dining and tourism. The city also intends to fast-track construction of a multipurpose gymnasium to provide stable conditions for hosting international competitions.

Chuncheon will continue its efforts to attract public institutions as part of the second round of public-institution relocations. The city enacted an ordinance on attracting and supporting public institutions in August and activated a working-level consultative body; it plans to finalize a support package and establish an attraction committee in the fourth quarter of this year. The city will also work with the central government and Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province to make the case for balanced development in non-innovation cities, and will target institutions that align with Chuncheon's industrial and educational base.

The city is also securing space to support urban growth and job creation. Through the Corporate Innovation Park, the Camp Page urban regeneration innovation district and Chuncheon Station transit-oriented development, it plans to expand industrial, residential and cultural infrastructure. Yu also outlined plans to connect the Gangwon Institute of Science and Technology — an initiative Chuncheon has championed — and a research and development special zone headquarters with research, talent development and corporate investment.

Looking ahead, the city is working toward breaking ground on the second Gyeongchun Expressway and clearing a preliminary feasibility study for a bypass road between Seomyeon and Sinbuk. It is also advancing procedures with a target of beginning construction on the eighth Soyang River bridge in 2027.

To ensure that industrial investment and urban vitality translate into better lives for young residents, Chuncheon will link employment and population policies through its Youth Policy Promotion Team and a basic ordinance on population strategy. The city said it would work with universities and businesses to expand job and startup opportunities so that young people can study, work and build their futures in Chuncheon.

Chuncheon's integrated care model has become a nationally recognized welfare policy. Building on that foundation, the city plans to upgrade its support system so that residents who need help can be directed to the right services with a single phone call, without having to navigate multiple agencies. The system will cover daily-life needs including health, housing, mobility and meals, helping people remain safely in their own homes. Chuncheon also plans to develop neighborhood-level welfare infrastructure — including a southeastern multipurpose welfare center — and build a new public health center so residents can access support close to home.

Meanwhile, as the city works to become a more livable place, the number of suicide deaths fell 12.4 percent last year — a steeper decline than the national average of 4.9 percent and the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province average of 8.1 percent. Preliminary figures for January through July of this year show a further drop of 19.6 percent, the city said.

If you're thinking about self-harm or suicide, dial the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 109, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Please request a translator for English-language services.