On the 4th, the opening ceremony of 'Haengbok Maru,' a resting place for Bukyeong horse racing enthusiasts, was held at Busan Gyeongnam Horse Racing Park.
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Yong-woo] The welfare center for horse industry workers, 'Haengbok Ma(馬)ru,' has opened.
The Korea Racing Authority announced on the 5th that the 'Haengbok Maru,' a resting place for horse racing workers in the Busan-Gyeongnam Racing Park, was inaugurated on the 4th.
The name of the welfare center was decided through a contest among horse industry workers and staff.
Haengbok Maru, established to improve the welfare of horse industry workers in the Busan-Gyeongnam area, is a two-story building with a total floor area of 1,755㎡ and a building area of 969㎡.
The total project cost was 5.5 billion KRW, and it was completed after 14 months of construction. The facility is intended for trainers, grooms, jockeys, and others at the Busan-Gyeongnam Racing Park.
The Korea Racing Authority held several meetings with horse industry workers to gather opinions on the welfare center’s space configuration to provide a user-tailored welfare space.
On the first floor of the welfare center, there are a restaurant and offices for horse industry workers, while the second floor includes a gym, table tennis room, billiards room, caf?-style lounge, and healing zone for health management and relaxation.
'Haengbok Maru' was designed considering the characteristics of the racetrack building.
Matte tiles and exposed concrete were used for the exterior finishing materials. This is because light reflecting from the building toward the racetrack could interfere with racehorse running and lead to accidents.
Vertical aluminum louvers were also installed on the front glass windows to secure indoor lighting and visibility while minimizing light reflection toward the racetrack.
Additionally, to minimize the impact on race operations and early morning training, low-noise foundation construction methods were used during the construction process, and sound-absorbing temporary noise barriers were applied instead of regular steel fences for the construction site fences.
Efforts were also made to adjust construction hours to avoid training and race operation times.
The opening ceremony was attended by Korea Racing Authority Chairman Kim Woo-nam, along with representatives from the Busan-Gyeongnam Horse Owners Association, Trainers Association, Jockeys Association, and Grooms Labor Union.
Considering the COVID-19 situation, the event was broadcast live on the YouTube KRBC channel.
Korea Racing Authority Chairman Kim Woo-nam said, “I hope this welfare center becomes a foundation where all horse industry workers can work healthily and happily, and that the operators and horse industry workers unite to form a partnership of coexistence and harmony.”
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