Economic Ripple Effect of 402.1 Billion Won... A Benchmark for Local Governments Nationwide
Urban Railway Line 2 Construction Ranks Second, Gapcheon Ecological Lake Park Opening Takes Third
The "Daejeon 0 O’Clock Festival," one of the key factors that transformed Daejeon from a "boring city" into an "exciting city," ranked first in this year's list of the top 10 news stories selected by Daejeon citizens.
Daejeon citizens chose "Daejeon 0 O’Clock Festival surpasses 2 million visitors for two consecutive years" as the top news story among Daejeon City’s 2025 news highlights.
To mark the end of the year, Daejeon City conducted a vote for the "Top 10 Daejeon City News Stories of 2025," aiming to share various municipal achievements with citizens and gather their opinions.
Out of a total of 9,441 participants in the online vote held from the 8th to the 17th, "Daejeon 0 O’Clock Festival surpasses 2 million visitors for two consecutive years" secured first place with 2,935 votes.
The 2025 Daejeon 0 O’Clock Festival, held for nine days in the Jungang-ro area, attracted 2.16 million visitors this year, following 2 million in 2024, solidifying its status as Korea’s leading summer festival.
With a wide variety of activities and attractions, the festival drew massive crowds throughout its duration and generated an economic ripple effect of 402.1 billion won, establishing itself as a model for economic revitalization festivals that other local governments nationwide seek to benchmark.
This year, in particular, the festival venue was vibrantly decorated with "Kkumdori" and his family, the "Kkumssi Family," further imprinting Daejeon’s city brand and demonstrating its potential to become a global festival beyond Korea.
The second place went to "Full-scale commencement of construction on all sections of Urban Railway Line 2," which garnered 2,880 votes.
After the basic plan was approved in 1996, Urban Railway Line 2 held its groundbreaking ceremony in December last year, 28 years later, and this year saw the start of construction on all 14 main sections, signaling the full-scale launch of the project.
The Urban Railway Line 2 project, by dividing construction contracts and favoring local companies, greatly expanded the participation of regional firms, providing a much-needed boost to the sluggish construction industry.
Circulating throughout all five districts of Daejeon, Urban Railway Line 2 is scheduled to open in 2028 and is drawing attention as a landmark and an eco-friendly transportation innovation for the city.
Third place went to "Opening of Gapcheon Ecological Lake Park, a healing space for citizens in the city," which received 2,546 votes.
Gapcheon Ecological Lake Park, located in Doan-dong, Seo-gu and Wonsinheung-dong, Yuseong-gu, fulfilled a long-standing wish of citizens when it opened in September, 19 years after being included in Daejeon’s 2006 urban master plan.
With a total area of 431,244 square meters, the park features a lake, observatory, hill, and suspension bridge, and surpassed 220,000 visitors within a month of opening, quickly becoming a new healing retreat for citizens.
Fourth place went to "Official opening of Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark," which received 2,456 votes.
Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark, the new home stadium for the Hanwha Eagles and the first since the old Hanbat Baseball Stadium opened 61 years ago, attracted great anticipation from baseball fans even before opening, thanks to features such as Korea’s first infinity pool and Asia’s first Monster Wall.
After opening, the Hanwha Eagles showed a remarkable performance, reaching the Korean Series for the first time in 19 years, bringing great joy to citizens. With a seat occupancy rate of 99.3%, the stadium was packed every game, boosting the local economy in the city center, and the citizens’ passion for baseball is turning Daejeon into a special city for the sport.
Fifth place went to "67 Daejeon-listed companies reach a market capitalization of 87 trillion won," while sixth went to "Kkumdori Ramen and Kkumdori Walnut Cookies continue their streak of popularity."
Other top stories included "Chungcheong Region Express Metropolitan Railway (CTX) passes private investment feasibility review" in seventh place, "Completion of Yuseong Complex Terminal construction" in eighth, "Four consecutive years of awards, 2025 National Local Government Job Award Grand Prize" in ninth, and "Opening of Dong Daejeon Library and Green Remodeling of Hanbat Library" in tenth.
Choi Wookyung, Spokesperson for Daejeon City, stated, "The year 2025 was a meaningful year in which we fulfilled one promise after another to citizens by resolving various long-awaited projects. As we enter the final year of the 8th popularly elected administration, we will accelerate our efforts on remaining key projects to make Daejeon a top-tier economic city."
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