Sokcho City Accelerates Plans to Open 'Integrated Education and Sports Center' by 2030

Linked to Sokcho Middle School Relocation
Relocation Project Set for Completion by End of 2027

With the official groundbreaking of the relocation project for Sokcho Middle School in the southern area of Sokcho, Gangwon Province, the city’s related initiative-the construction of the Sokcho Integrated Education and Sports Center-is also expected to gain momentum.

Exterior view of Sokcho City Hall.

The Sokcho-Yangyang Office of Education held a groundbreaking report meeting for the Sokcho Middle School relocation project at the education office on December 16.

At this event, the Sokcho-Yangyang Office of Education announced that the relocation of Sokcho Middle School to Joyang-dong would begin at the end of this month, with completion targeted for the end of 2027 and the new school opening in March 2028.

Accordingly, Sokcho City’s related project-which involves demolishing the gymnasium after the school’s relocation and establishing the Integrated Education and Sports Center, a school-community facility for both students and local residents-is also expected to accelerate.

This project, which has been discussed alongside the school’s relocation, was selected in August 2024 as part of the Ministry of Education’s “2024 School-Community Facility Project,” thereby securing a foundation for national funding support.

Sokcho City signed a basic agreement with the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Provincial Office of Education to promote the school-community facility and has been gathering input on the facility’s composition through surveys and other means.

With a total project cost of approximately 48.9 billion KRW and a target opening year of 2030, the Sokcho Integrated Education and Sports Center will be developed as a comprehensive sports and cultural facility, including a survival swimming pool, a general swimming pool, other sports facilities, as well as cultural and study spaces.

Sokcho City plans to conduct an architectural review and design competition in the first half of 2026, complete the necessary administrative procedures, and begin construction in coordination with the school relocation schedule.

An official from Sokcho City stated, “By establishing the Integrated Education and Sports Center, we will expand the sports infrastructure, improve access to sports facilities for students and citizens, and expect significant benefits for balanced regional development and better living conditions.”

Currently, Sokcho City operates only one swimming pool at the Sokcho National Sports Center. With rising demand, the need to distribute the functions of public sports facilities and to improve the quality of public sports services has been continuously raised.