Goyang City Joins Bid to Host "Gwacheon Racecourse"...Kickstarting a Major Economic Transformation in Northern Gyeonggi

Optimal infrastructure including KINTEX, GTX-A, and the Wondang Thoroughbred Ranch, with excellent access to international airports
Beyond simply attracting a racecourse, poised to become the largest horse-industry hub in the Seoul metropolitan area
More than 4 million visitors per year...maximizing ripple effects on the local economy, including job creation

On February 25, Goyang Special City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Donghwan) officially announced its intention to host the relocated Gwacheon Racecourse (LetsRun Park Seoul), which the government is seeking to move, emphasizing that "Goyang City, with its overwhelming locational advantages and strong hinterland demand, is the optimal site."

Exterior view of Goyang Special City Hall. Provided by Goyang City

Breaking away from the existing racecourse model, Goyang City asserted the legitimacy of its bid by proposing a "post-racing model" that combines MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) infrastructure with cultural content.

Goyang City is a key transportation hub with excellent connectivity, located near the GTX-A line, which is scheduled to fully open in 2028, as well as Jayu-ro and the Seoul Metropolitan Area 1st Ring Expressway. In particular, it offers high accessibility for foreign visitors by being connected to two international airports within 30 minutes, giving it very strong potential to grow into an international tourist destination.

The city also cited as a strength its ability to secure large-scale land parcels, including areas near the candidate site for a free economic zone, near Daegok Station, and near idle land around the Korea Racing Authority's Wondang Ranch and Gwansan-dong. With the capacity to serve a hinterland population of more than 5 million people across northwestern Seoul and northern Gyeonggi Province, the relocation is expected to dramatically improve visitor convenience and operational efficiency.

Goyang City is already home to the Korea Racing Authority's Wondang Thoroughbred Ranch (located in Seosamneung), giving it an optimal ecosystem for fostering the horse industry. Building on these historical and professional assets, the city plans to attract the Gwacheon Racecourse and grow into the largest horse-industry hub in the Seoul metropolitan area, integrating research, education, tourism, and business.

In particular, the city plans to leverage synergies with abundant nearby cultural infrastructure, including KINTEX, the largest exhibition center in Korea, as well as Goyang Sports Complex, Aramnuri Arts Center, and Ilsan Lake Park, to transform the facility into an urban, multi-purpose cultural and leisure complex that families can enjoy.

If the bid succeeds, Goyang City expects to enjoy a massive ripple effect on the local economy from the inflow of more than 4 million visitors annually. In particular, the city will be able to significantly enhance its fiscal self-reliance by securing hundreds of billions of won in grants through leisure tax revenues. The tax revenue thus secured is expected to be reinvested in expanding education and welfare infrastructure and creating jobs, serving as a catalyst for establishing a virtuous economic cycle in the local community.

Mayor Lee Donghwan of Goyang Special City stated, "Attracting LetsRun Park will be the optimal choice to realize the government's policy of 'balanced development in the Seoul metropolitan area' by reallocating leisure tax revenue sources, which are currently concentrated in southern Gyeonggi Province, to Goyang City as a northern hub." He added, "We will move away from the existing closed image of racecourses, strengthen sound, multi-purpose leisure functions, and apply advanced smart security technologies to support the creation of an eco-friendly civic park where everyone can feel safe and enjoy themselves."

Meanwhile, the city plans to conduct systematic and strategic activities to attract the facility, including collecting a wide range of opinions through future public hearings with citizens and demonstrating the business feasibility of the project through a feasibility study for the bid.