Lee Jae-myung Provides Generous 10 Billion Won Support to Icheon City for Accepting Wuhan Returnees During COVID-19

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province will provide 10 billion KRW to build a complex cultural sports center, a long-cherished project of residents in the southern region of Icheon City and aimed at promoting sports and cultural activities.

On the 22nd, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung held a 'Business Agreement for the Construction of the Icheon City Southern Region Complex Cultural Sports Center' at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office with Eom Tae-jun, Mayor of Icheon City.

At the signing ceremony, Choi Man-sik, Chairman of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, and Assemblyman Kim In-young also attended.

According to the agreement, the province will provide administrative and financial support related to the construction of the complex cultural sports center. Icheon City will secure the site and construction funds and strive to build the center promptly.

Governor Lee Jae-myung said, "The unprecedented support from Gyeonggi Province for this project was prompted by the fact that when the Wuhan returnees came back due to COVID-19, the Defense Language Institute and the residents of Icheon warmly welcomed them," adding, "I am very grateful and suggested that it would be good to have something memorable as a model case of how to behave as a member of the community."

He continued, "On behalf of the 13.8 million residents of the province, I sincerely thank the citizens of Icheon for their broad-mindedness and sense of solidarity," and added, "I hope the project will be carried out swiftly and that it will become a great space where residents can take pride and enjoy culture and sports."

Mayor Eom Tae-jun said, "When the government made the decision to designate the temporary living facility for Wuhan returnees, there were many concerns, but our residents united their hearts and made sure the returnees could stay warmly before leaving, which made me proud as a mayor. I will continue to cooperate well with the Gyeonggi provincial government," he promised.

The Icheon City Southern Region Complex Cultural Sports Center will be built in Janghowon-ri, Janghowon-eup, Icheon City, with a total floor area of 7,891㎡, two floors above ground and two floors underground. It will include a swimming pool (25m × 6 lanes), a performance hall (300 seats), a fitness room, and an exhibition hall.

In March 2019, Icheon City prepared a plan to build the southern region complex cultural sports center to provide a venue for sports and cultural arts activities for residents in the underserved southern region (Janghowon-eup, Yul-myeon, Seolseong-myeon).

The total project cost for the complex cultural sports center is 30 billion KRW, of which Gyeonggi Province will support 10 billion KRW, and the remainder will be covered by national subsidies and Icheon City's own budget.

Icheon City will begin construction by the end of this year through preliminary reviews such as public building pre-examination and architectural design competitions. The construction period is two years, with completion scheduled for December 2023.

The facility will be designed as a space shared by both disabled and non-disabled people, and the province expects it to contribute to residents' health improvement and quality of life.

Meanwhile, in February last year, the government designated the Defense Language Institute, an affiliated institution of the Icheon Joint Military University, as the third temporary living facility for Chinese Wuhan returnees. At that time, Governor Lee Jae-myung personally visited Icheon to express gratitude to the residents and promised support to revitalize the local economy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.