ICHEON — The city of Icheon has wrapped up its site selection process for a bid to host the relocated Gwacheon horse racing park, LetsRun Park Seoul, and is now preparing a full response to the upcoming public call for proposals.
Icheon said on the 19th that it had reviewed five candidate sites proposed by four towns and townships within the city and selected Janghowon-eup as the optimal location. Hobeop-myeon was designated as a backup candidate.
Janghowon-eup, Bubal-eup, Sindun-myeon and Hobeop-myeon took part in the review. Residents and local representatives in each area gathered support for the bid and proposed candidate sites to the city. The city then examined the locations in terms of site conditions and project feasibility.
The review covered site size and topography, the feasibility of facility layout, transportation access, and the cost and time required to secure the land. The city also weighed administrative and financial conditions that could arise during the actual implementation of the project.
The city concluded that Janghowon-eup was best suited for the proposal. Once the Korea Racing Authority finalizes its schedule and detailed guidelines for the public call, the city plans to flesh out its proposal centered on the Janghowon-eup site.
New evaluation criteria or additional conditions could still emerge during the process. In that case, the city will re-examine the suitability of the sites already submitted and, if necessary, also review Hobeop-myeon, the backup candidate.
The city will continue to gather residents' views and consult with relevant agencies to refine its bid strategy. It plans to highlight Icheon's competitiveness by incorporating transportation networks, the ripple effects on the local economy and the potential for surrounding development into its proposal.
"I am grateful to the residents and local representatives of each town and township who came together behind this bid," Icheon Mayor Sung Soo-seok said. "We will put together a proposal that fully reflects the advantages of Icheon's location and do our utmost to bring the horse racing park here."