Yangju City has entered the competition to host the relocated Let's Run Park Seoul (Gwacheon Racecourse), proposing its Gwangseok District as an alternative site. The move comes as multiple regions in Gyeonggi Province vie for the relocation following the government's "January 29 Housing Supply Measures" announcement, with Yangju partnering with Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) to take preemptive action.
According to Yangju City on Tuesday, Mayor Kang Soo-hyun visited LH's Yangju project headquarters the previous day to request cooperation in having Gwangseok District considered as an alternative site. The city highlighted that Gwangseok District is similar in size to the current Gwacheon Racecourse site (approximately 1.16 million square meters) and that LH has already completed land compensation, enabling immediate construction.
The Gyeonggi Provincial Government had previously requested the central government to consider sites including returned U.S. military bases in northeastern Gyeonggi Province as relocation candidates. Yangju's move is interpreted as a preemptive response to these developments.
Gwangseok District was designated as a housing development zone in 2004 but has remained undeveloped for over 20 years after being excluded from new housing supply plans. The city has shifted its strategy from residential-focused development to introducing large-scale self-sufficient functions. If the racecourse is secured, the city expects approximately 50 billion won in annual local tax revenue and an influx of 3,000 permanent workers.
Transportation conditions are also improving. Gwangseok District is located approximately 30 kilometers from Jonggak Station in Seoul, with metropolitan transportation networks including the Second Metropolitan Ring Expressway and Seoul-Yangju Expressway currently under expansion.
"If Let's Run Park is established on this LH-owned ready site, the nation can achieve swift policy implementation while the city can simultaneously achieve balanced development in its western region," Mayor Kang said.
The city has established and is operating a task force headed by the deputy mayor to lead the bid.