Icheon, Designated as 'Horse Industry Special Zone,' Accelerates Bid to Host Racecourse

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Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, has officially accelerated its bid to host a racecourse, highlighting its status as a designated "horse industry special zone."

Reporter Yu Yeong-su has the details.

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Icheon was designated as a "horse industry special zone" back in 2015.

Since then, the city has established a specialized equine hospital that treats 5,600 horses annually, along with a healing-focused recreational riding ground.

With this horse-related infrastructure in place, the city has seen an influx of horse-breeding farms.

Currently, 26 farms in Icheon are raising around 470 horses.

[Lee Yong-su / Director, Icheon Horse-breeding Farm : It is very great for learning about horseback riding and horses, and when our horses get sick, it is very convenient and easy because there is an equine clinic right nearby.]

Leveraging the strengths of its horse industry special zone, Icheon is picking up speed in its bid to host a racecourse.

Among the four towns and townships that submitted applications to host, Icheon selected Janghowon-eup as its candidate site.

Janghowon-eup formed a resident promotion committee and submitted a primary petition signed by approximately 4,000 residents.

[Shin Sung-hee / Secretary General, Janghowon Racecourse Bid Promotion Committee : We believe it is a transportation hub from which you can easily go anywhere toward Gangwon Province, Chungcheong Province, Gyeongsang Province, or Seoul. Therefore, we think our region is the optimal location to host a racecourse.]

Icheon announced plans to develop the racecourse into a "complex cultural and leisure space."

[Sung Su-seok / Mayor of Icheon : Icheon citizens have a strong will and desire to host the racecourse. I am confident that the future horse industry, centered around Icheon, will expand into all areas of both horse racing and horseback riding.]

Icheon expects that hosting the racecourse will generate approximately 49 billion won in annual tax revenue increases.

(Video Journalist: In Pil-seong)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.