Park Seungwon, Mayor of Gwangmyeong, "Establishing a Solid Strategy to Attract the K-Arena"

Visit to Inspire Arena in Incheon: Exploring Strategies to Attract the K-Arena
"Gwangmyeong Siheung New Town, an Ideal Site with Excellent Location and Transportation Network"

Park Seungwon, mayor of Gwangmyeong in Gyeonggi Province, is accelerating efforts to develop strategies to attract the 'K-Arena' to Gwangmyeong Siheung New Town.

On the afternoon of September 3, Mayor Park visited Inspire Arena in Yeongjongdo, Incheon, where he inspected the local performance venue facilities and their current operations, and explored strategies to bring the K-Arena to Gwangmyeong Siheung New Town.

Park Seungwon, mayor of Gwangmyeong, second from the right, who visited Inspire Arena in Yeongjongdo, Incheon, is exchanging opinions with company officials about the operation of key facilities such as the performance hall. Provided by Gwangmyeong City

Mayor Park stated, "Gwangmyeong City will not miss the opportunity to emerge as the leading global cultural city in the southwestern metropolitan area," adding, "In line with the K-Culture revitalization national agenda of the Lee Jaemyung administration, we will establish a solid strategy for attracting the K-Arena, covering everything from design and operation to revenue structure."

Inspire Arena, which Mayor Park visited that day, is Korea's first multi-purpose performance venue with a maximum capacity of 15,000 seats. In addition to the performance hall, it is gaining attention as a complex cultural and tourism hub, featuring a hotel, shopping mall, and restaurant district.

On this visit, Mayor Park held discussions with Inspire Arena officials, receiving explanations about design and capacity, transportation infrastructure connectivity, operating entities and revenue structure, and the economic ripple effects on the local area. He also conducted a comparative analysis with the site conditions of Gwangmyeong Siheung New Town.

Mayor Park emphasized, "The excellent transportation infrastructure and site conditions of Gwangmyeong Siheung New Town are key strengths for attracting domestic and international visitors and are core competitive factors for hosting the arena," and added, "We will succeed in attracting the arena with a strategy to foster a culture-intensive industry that leverages this outstanding accessibility."

The city asserts that Gwangmyeong Siheung New Town is optimally positioned to attract the arena, as it boasts an excellent metropolitan transportation network, including KTX Gwangmyeong Station with an urban airport terminal, Gwangmyeong Siheung Line, Shinansan Line, Wolgot Pangyo Line, GTX-D and GTX-G, as well as the Suwon-Gwangmyeong and Gwangmyeong-Seoul expressways.

Previously, the city launched a task force last month to attract the K-Arena and is systematically preparing the entire process, from establishing basic strategies and administrative procedures to attracting private investment and promoting the project.