Goyang-si Kintex Hotel Site Sale Plan Rejected by City Council for the Third Time

City: "Urgent Expansion of Kintex Accommodation Infrastructure... Will Build Consensus through Plan Supplementation and Persuasion"

The shared property management plan for the sale of the S2 hotel site (Daehwa-dong 2600-7, approximately 11,773㎡) within the KINTEX support site, submitted for the third time this year by Goyang Special City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Dong-hwan), was once again rejected by the city council.

S2 Site within Kintex Support Site. Provided by Goyang Special City

The shared property management plan is a plan concerning the acquisition and disposal of shared property, intended as a measure to efficiently manage the city's important assets. The head of the local government is required to obtain approval from the local council regarding this.

However, in this review, rather than focusing on the appropriateness of the shared property sale itself, many comments were made on matters such as the operation rate of surrounding hotels and the analysis of hotel business feasibility?issues that should be addressed by the actual buyer who will purchase the land and conduct the business.

The S2 site within the KINTEX support site has been designated as hotel land since 2007, following the announcement of the change in designation of the Korea International Exhibition Center urban development zone, and the project has been ongoing since then.

A Goyang Special City official stated, “The shortage of hotels around KINTEX has been a persistent issue since KINTEX opened in 2005, and this is a concern shared not only by MICE industry stakeholders but also by citizens and the city council.” He added, “Although prestigious events such as the Rotary International World Convention have been held in Goyang, the regional ripple effect has been minimal, with the biggest reason being the lack of hotels.”

He continued, “To maximize the effects of the MICE industry through KINTEX, the largest exhibition center in the country, it is urgent to expand the insufficient accommodation infrastructure nearby,” and added, “We ask for the council’s cooperation so that the hotel site can be promptly developed into a hotel for the benefit of Goyang’s regional development and its citizens.”

Last year, KINTEX was visited by 5.8 million people annually, and it is expected that the number will increase to over 10 million upon completion of the third exhibition hall in 2027. However, nearby accommodation facilities only have 1,248 rooms at Sono Calm and Kateuri Hotel, which is still insufficient to accommodate large-scale visitors. Additionally, the need for lodging in Goyang has become more prominent due to large-scale performances held recently at Goyang Sports Complex.

According to a feasibility study conducted earlier this year on the 'KINTEX Hotel and Parking Complex Building Construction Project,' more than 3,139 additional rooms will be needed by 2031 after the third exhibition hall is built. Generally, when hosting international conferences, organizers require about 2,000 to 3,000 nearby hotel rooms, and accommodation infrastructure scores 30 out of 100 points, which is relatively high. This indicates that participant lodging convenience is highly valued when hosting MICE events.

Goyang Special City expects that if this site sale is successful, a global hotel with 625 rooms will be constructed.

A Goyang Special City official said, “Since this sale plan is an important starting point for regional economic and MICE industry development, we will continue to supplement the plan while meeting administrative requirements.”

Goyang Special City intends to carefully review the questions raised regarding the sale plan and strengthen cooperation with the council. In particular, they plan to build consensus through sufficient explanation and persuasion about the appropriateness of the sale and its effects on regional development.