The construction of the Complex Innovation Center, the first state-funded project for South Chungcheong Innovation City that had faced the risk of collapse, is now moving into full swing.
South Chungcheong Province announced Wednesday that it has begun designing the Complex Innovation Center for South Chungcheong Innovation City. The center is the first state-funded project for the innovation city under the Innovation City Act and is a multipurpose public facility to be built on a community site in Naepo New Town, near Boseong Elementary School in Yesan.
The center will be built on a 6,034-square-meter site as a three-story above-ground structure with a total floor area of 4,100 square meters, with 25 billion won in total project costs to be invested through 2028. The center will house facilities for infants and adolescents, education and creative spaces, and the Innovation City Management Headquarters office.
The province plans to complete the design next year, begin construction immediately afterward, finish construction in 2028, and commence full operations in 2029.
Since its designation in October 2020, South Chungcheong Innovation City has remained stalled for more than five years, with key government initiatives such as the relocation of public institutions making little visible progress. The Complex Innovation Center project also secured 500 million won in design funding in 2024, but state funding was suspended because the innovation city development planning district had not been designated, putting the project at risk of falling through.
The province pressed its case with the central government, emphasizing that South Chungcheong Innovation City has been relatively neglected compared with other innovation cities. Combined with the government's "balanced national growth" policy stance, the province ultimately secured state funding. Working with Yesan County and other partners, the province plans to establish an integrated cooperation system spanning budget acquisition, construction, and operations to accelerate the project and enhance its quality.
"The South Chungcheong Innovation City project, which had been stalled for five years, is now moving into full swing with the start of design work for the Complex Innovation Center," said So Myung-soo, director general of the Balanced Development Bureau at the provincial government. "We will continue to improve living conditions in Naepo New Town and actively work to attract public institutions from the Seoul metropolitan area."
The province plans to pursue follow-up state-funded projects in stages to revitalize the innovation city.
