Exclusive: Korea Racing Authority's Relocation Plan for Gwacheon Housing Supply Faces Hurdles

[Anchor]

The government has announced that it will focus all its efforts on housing supply alongside the designation of regulated areas. The plan to supply 60,000 homes in the Seoul metropolitan area, announced last January, includes building 10,000 homes in the Yongsan International Business District in Seoul, 6,800 homes on the site of the Taereung Golf Course in Nowon-gu, and 9,800 homes by relocating the Gwacheon Horse Racing Park and the Defense Security Command in Gyeonggi-do. However, the plan for Gwacheon has faced strong opposition from residents and the Korea Racing Authority labor union since its initial announcement. Our reporting team has obtained the relocation review proposal submitted by the Korea Racing Authority to the government, and the negotiation process appears to be far from smooth.

Reporter Baegun has this exclusive report.

[Reporter]

Over 100 vehicles displaying banners that read "Defend the Horse Racing Park at All Costs" are lined up in a row.

This is a vehicle protest held by Gwacheon citizens and the Korea Racing Authority labor union to oppose the government's unilateral push for relocation.

[Park Geun-moon / Chairman of the Korea Racing Authority Labor Union: The government is currently prioritizing speed over proper review, and is ordering us to relocate before making promises regarding support.]

In the midst of this, it was confirmed through SBS reporting that the Korea Racing Authority submitted a 26-page review proposal regarding the relocation of the horse racing park to the government on June 27.

The proposal, created through labor-management consultations, states that the government must bear 2.38 trillion won in construction costs, excluding the cost of the land.

It also stated that the basic plan for the relocation of the racecourse can only be approved if related regulations and tax policies, such as the abolition of the cap on betting ticket purchases and the reduction of leisure taxes, are implemented.

The union also demanded that the relocation process be halted if the government fails to fulfill its promises and economic feasibility is not secured.

This means that there are layers of obstacles to overcome even before the public call for a new relocation site begins.

The government stated, "We will review the Korea Racing Authority's demands and discuss them with relevant ministries."

The sites of the horse racing park and the Defense Security Command are key areas planned under the January 29 housing supply measures, intended to absorb demand in Seoul and the southern Gyeonggi region.

As the government has promised to supply housing in the metropolitan area without setbacks, a fast-paced process is expected in the future. However, whether the government can quickly resolve these differences in Gwacheon and keep to its plan of starting construction by 2030 appears to be a deciding factor in the success or failure of the overall supply plan.

(Video reporting: Lee Byung-ju | Video editing: Park Chun-bae | Design: Jeon Yu-geun)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.