Bucheon rallies citizens, council in bid for sports-and-concert dome

Bucheon, in Gyeonggi Province, is mounting an all-out campaign to attract a multipurpose dome combining sports and live performances, touting its position as a transit-oriented area served by five rail lines as a key competitive edge.

The city held a public briefing Wednesday at Bucheon City Hall, drawing about 130 residents, to unveil its construction blueprint and build civic momentum behind the dome bid.

The plan envisions transforming the area around Bucheon Sports Complex into a year-round cultural destination that blends sporting events with large-scale concerts and commercial and cultural amenities.

The city's strategy calls for arranging an outdoor plaza and various support facilities around the dome to raise residents' quality of leisure and draw large crowds that would energize the local commercial district.

A survey the city conducted from Nov. 3 to Wednesday showed strong public support for mixed-use redevelopment of the Bucheon Sports Complex site and broad enthusiasm for building the dome.

At the briefing, residents voiced keen interest in expanding the city's cultural and sports infrastructure and offered practical suggestions on traffic management, parking and ways to ensure neighboring areas benefit from the development.

"Securing the dome is a new growth engine that will lift Bucheon's cultural and economic competitiveness to the next level," Bucheon Mayor Cho Yong-ik said. "We will make full use of the residents' valuable input and maximize Bucheon's unique strengths in transportation and culture to win this bid."

Bucheon formally entered the competition when it submitted a letter of intent to Gyeonggi Province on Oct. 26. The city plans to accelerate its push by filing an official project proposal with the province Friday.