Relocation and Reconstruction of Yeongwol Medical Center and Jecheon-Yeongwol Expressway Pass Preliminary Feasibility Study

Completion of New Yeongwol Medical Center in 2028... Essential Medical Services in Southern Gangwon Greatly Strengthened
Jecheon~Yeongwol Expressway Followed by Expected Approval of ‘Yeongwol~Samcheok Expressway’ Feasibility Study

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Yeongwol-gun (Governor Choi Myung-seo) announced on the 9th that the relocation and reconstruction of Yeongwol Medical Center, a long-awaited project for Yeongwol residents and a core project that will determine Yeongwol's future for the next 100 years, as well as the construction of the Jecheon~Yeongwol Expressway, have passed the preliminary feasibility study and feasibility re-evaluation by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. With this, the promotion of both projects has entered the main track.

The Yeongwol Medical Center relocation and reconstruction project, which passed the preliminary feasibility study this time, is a project to relocate and rebuild the existing aging and cramped medical center to the Deokpoli area, currently being developed as a public site, by investing a total project cost of 142.7 billion KRW by 2028.

Conceptual drawing of the new Yeongwol Medical Center. Image provided by the Ministry of Health and Welfare

Yeongwol Medical Center has served as the responsible medical institution for the Yeongwol area including Yeongwol, Pyeongchang, and Jeongseon, playing a role in promoting residents' health and providing an essential medical safety net. However, since the main building was completed over 40 years ago, there were structural limitations in strengthening essential medical capabilities due to aging facilities.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Gangwon Province applied for a preliminary feasibility study in November 2022 to provide higher quality essential medical services in an improved environment for residents in the southern Gangwon area. The relocation and reconstruction of Yeongwol Medical Center passed the preliminary feasibility study under the condition that it proceeds as a Build-Transfer-Lease (BTL) private investment project.

Once the Yeongwol Medical Center relocation and reconstruction project, which will begin construction in 2026, is completed without delay, the current 184 beds will be expanded to 300 beds across 9 wards, and the 17 medical departments will be expanded to 25. Along with this, advanced medical systems such as a regional emergency medical center and rehabilitation medical center will be equipped, eliminating treatment gaps for severe emergency patients and infectious disease intensive care patients. Additionally, by linking with a public postpartum care center, a comprehensive childbirth and childcare system will be established to alleviate the inconvenience of young mothers who currently travel to cities for childbirth.

Furthermore, the current Yeongwol Medical Center building will be remodeled into a digital nursing hospital for southern Gangwon, addressing the increasing demand for elderly care. With this, by 2028, when the new Yeongwol Medical Center relocation and reconstruction is completed, Yeongwol will emerge as a medical hub city in the southern Gangwon region.

Jecheon~Yeongwol Expressway Construction Project Basic and Detailed Design. Image provided by Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province

Also, the Jecheon~Yeongwol Expressway construction project, which passed the preliminary feasibility study on the same day, is a project to build a new 4-lane expressway (29.9 km) on the Jecheon~Yeongwol section of the East-West Expressway stretching from Pyeongtaek to Samcheok. It had already passed the preliminary feasibility study in 2020, and basic and detailed designs were underway. However, due to factors such as inflation, the original project cost of 1.0979 trillion KRW increased by about 600 billion KRW, prompting the government to initiate a re-evaluation, raising concerns about project suspension.

However, with the recent approval of the re-evaluation, the total project cost has expanded to 1.7165 trillion KRW, and the project is expected to gain further momentum. Moreover, it is anticipated to have a positive effect on the ongoing preliminary feasibility study for the Yeongwol~Samcheok section.

Following the approval of the Jecheon~Yeongwol Expressway feasibility re-evaluation, if the last remaining section, the Yeongwol~Samcheok Expressway, also passes the preliminary feasibility study and the entire East-West Expressway is constructed, Yeongwol will become the undisputed gateway to southern Gangwon, boosting tourism activation and serving as a forward base for east-west logistics.

Choi Myung-seo, Governor of Yeongwol-gun, said, “We welcome the passing of the preliminary feasibility study for the relocation and reconstruction of Yeongwol Medical Center and the feasibility re-evaluation for the Jecheon~Yeongwol Expressway together with the 40,000 residents. We will also successfully complete the preliminary feasibility study for the last long-awaited project of Yeongwol residents, the Yeongwol~Samcheok Expressway, to bring forward a 'better place to live, Yeongwol.'”