Gwi-Soon Lee, Gwangju City Council Member, "2038 Gwangju-Daegu Asian Games Require Thorough Review"

Pre-Feasibility Study B/C 1.10 'Economic Feasibility' Barely Secured

Many Costs Omitted Including Remodeling Expenses for Permanent Apartments Using Seonsuchon

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Lee Gwisoon, a member of the Gwangju Metropolitan City Council, argued that although the preliminary feasibility study for the 2038 Gwangju-Daegu Asian Games barely secured economic feasibility with a B/C ratio of 1.10, many parts were omitted, requiring thorough review.

Lee said, “If you look closely at the Korea Sports Policy Institute’s ‘SATA’ content, the plan is to operate the athletes' village through remodeling of permanent rental apartments,” adding, “However, it is estimated that the repair costs to revert the athletes' village back to rental apartments after the operation are omitted from the expenditure plan.”

Unlike a single-host event, joint hosting may incur higher transportation costs between cities and increased organizing committee operation expenses.

He continued, “Since the preparation period for the event is long, there is no expenditure plan for operating costs before the event for newly constructed sports facilities built between 2024 and 2037,” and demanded, “The timing of facility construction should be changed to just before the event, or annual operating costs until the event utilization after construction should be reflected in the yearly expenditure plan.”

He also pointed out that since the event is scheduled 16 years later in 2038, the basis for expected expenditures and detailed items in the currently drafted plan may differ significantly from reality.

He requested a thorough review of the omitted parts during future event bidding and organizing committee formation.

Furthermore, he pointed out, “The 2038 Gwangju-Daegu Summer Asian Games is an international event involving astronomical public funds and could potentially saddle future generations with debt,” emphasizing, “Sufficient public discussion and securing economic feasibility are necessary.”

He added, “Gwangju City should adopt a proactive attitude change by strengthening discussions and communication with the city council regarding hosting international sports events.”

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