Former 5870 Unit to Be Completed in June 2026
Uiryeong County in Gyeongsangnam-do announced on the 23rd that it has completed the design competition last month and plans to begin construction of a youth hostel early next year, with completion scheduled for June 2026.
The Uiryeong Youth Hostel will be built on the site of the former 5870 Unit 5th Battalion in Hari, Uiryeong-eup. The facility will have a total area of 4,000 square meters, consist of four above-ground floors, and accommodate over 150 people in 37 rooms. In addition, a large conference hall will be created for meetings and academic conferences. Notably, it is located within a 1-kilometer radius of the Gyeongsangnam-do Office of Education Future Education Center, which attracts 400,000 visitors annually.
Uiryeong County will invest a total of 16.6 billion KRW in the construction of the youth hostel, including 7.1 billion KRW secured from the Local Extinction Response Fund.
This youth hostel project was promoted as a campaign pledge by County Governor Oh Tae-wan. After it was confirmed that the Future Education Center would be established in Uiryeong, the need for a facility to accommodate students coming from outside the area was consistently raised, leading to the push for the youth hostel's construction.
Governor Oh designated the vacant 5870 Unit 5th Battalion site as the optimal location and pushed forward with the project since June 2015. This addressed residents' complaints about the unsightly building left abandoned for over nine years and resolved the inconvenience caused by the lack of lodging facilities near the Future Education Center.
There is also a positive outlook for attracting various competitions and sports training teams. In particular, the Uiryeong Eco-friendly Baseball Stadium has rapidly gained popularity as a winter training site due to its warm climate, central location in Gyeongsangnam-do, and three natural grass fields. However, it was often overlooked due to accommodation issues. The construction of the youth hostel is expected to resolve these problems and greatly benefit the local economy.
The final building design, which won last month's architectural design competition, has raised expectations by scoring highly for its harmonious spatial planning, effective use of the site, building layout considering the natural environment, and the organic composition and efficient flow of each facility.
Governor Oh said, "With the opening of the Future Education Center and the success of the Rich Rich Festival, the number of people coming to Uiryeong for work and leisure is rapidly increasing. I am truly delighted that a new symbolic building, representing a significant change, will be established in Uiryeong, which previously lacked any proper lodging facilities."
He added, "We will seek ways to coexist so that the local lodging industry does not suffer. We will listen to their requests and consult on necessary matters."
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