[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Uijeongbu City in Gyeonggi Province has succeeded in attracting the headquarters of the Korea Baduk Association. Additionally, it will invest 40 billion KRW to build a dedicated Baduk stadium.
On the 3rd, Gyeonggi Province announced that it signed an agreement titled 'Relocation of the Korea Baduk Association Headquarters and Construction of a Dedicated Baduk Stadium' with the Korea Baduk Association and Uijeongbu City at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office in Suwon.
According to the agreement, Gyeonggi Province will provide administrative and financial support related to the construction of the Baduk stadium. Uijeongbu City will secure the site and funding to build the stadium and cooperate to ensure the stable operation of the Korea Baduk Association.
The Korea Baduk Association will relocate its headquarters from Seongdong-gu, Seoul to Uijeongbu City and hold various tournaments at the Uijeongbu Baduk stadium. It will also actively participate in Baduk education programs aimed at enhancing residents' leisure activities.
Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung said in his greeting, "With the relocation of the Korea Baduk Association to Uijeongbu, including the dedicated Baduk stadium, it will contribute to resolving the north-south imbalance within the province and create new job opportunities for growing young talents. Baduk is a culture and sport that our country can proudly present to the world. The importance of culture, sports, and arts will continue to grow, and Gyeonggi Province will support these efforts diligently," he promised.
Im Chae-jung, CEO of the Korea Baduk Association, said, "In a situation where it is difficult to say that our precious cultural heritage of Baduk is thriving, we have established a new foundation. Rather than just constructing a building, this is a historic event that can inherit and develop our cultural heritage and anticipate the advancement of Korean Baduk. We will not forget the consideration shown by Gyeonggi Province and Uijeongbu City," he stated.
Ahn Byung-yong, Mayor of Uijeongbu City, said, "I was shocked to hear that when Chinese and Japanese players come, they avoid the Korea Baduk Association and go to hotels to play because the facilities of the Korea Baduk Association are so poor. We will devote ourselves to creating a Baduk association where the spirit and energy of Korean Baduk live on," he declared.
The dedicated Baduk stadium to be built in the area of 403, Howon-dong, Uijeongbu City, will be a four-story building above ground and one basement floor, covering 12,597 square meters. The Korea Baduk Association headquarters will be located on the third floor of this building. Of the total project cost of about 40 billion KRW, Gyeonggi Province will support 5 billion KRW, and the remainder will be covered by national funding and Uijeongbu City's own budget.
The Korea Baduk Association headquarters, previously located in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, needed to relocate due to aging facilities and lack of space. Uijeongbu City formed a task force (TF) in October last year to actively promote the attraction of the Korea Baduk Association.
From March to July, Uijeongbu City completed a feasibility study and basic plan for the relocation of the Korea Baduk Association and the construction of the Baduk stadium and is currently undergoing central investment review.
After completing the basic and detailed designs, environmental impact assessment, and traffic impact assessment, construction is scheduled to begin around May 2022 and be completed by December 2023.
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