Taebaek City to Transform Its Gateway... Full-Scale Urban Restructuring Centered on Taebaek Station and Terminal

Taebaek City Launches Major Overhaul of Samsu and Hwangyeon Districts
Transforming from a City to Pass Through to a City to Stay In
City Takes Bold Step with 25 Billion Won Urban Regeneration Initiative

Taebaek City in Gangwon Province (Mayor Lee Sangho) is accelerating the reorganization of the Samsu and Hwangyeon districts, centered around Taebaek Station—the gateway to the city—by organically connecting transportation, residential areas, commercial zones, and everyday infrastructure.

The city plans to simultaneously promote urban regeneration projects, expand transportation networks, improve residential environments, and revitalize the commercial district, thereby gradually establishing an urban structure that connects the gateway, stay, settlement, and commercial areas in stages.

Taebaek City Hall exterior. Provided by Taebaek City

Urban Regeneration: Transforming the Gateway into a ‘Stay Hub’

The core of the changes in the Samsu and Hwangyeon districts lies in the urban regeneration project centered around the Taebaek Station intersection.

Taebaek City is reapplying for a regionally specialized urban regeneration project worth 25 billion won, aiming to develop this area into an “original downtown focused on connection and stay,” combining transportation, tourism, and commercial functions.

In particular, the city has signed a business agreement with Youngam Express to modernize the bus terminal and has laid the groundwork for securing the site.

The newly developed terminal will go beyond being a simple transportation facility, serving as a multi-purpose hub with a traveler’s lounge and tourism information functions. In addition, a tourism system will be established to link the commercial area around Taebaek Station as a hotel-like “stay-type” destination.

Through these efforts, Taebaek City aims to establish a tourism structure of “arrival-stay-experience-connection,” thus shifting from a city that is simply passed through to one where visitors stay and experience more.

Transportation Infrastructure: Completing the Gateway Linked by Rail and Road

The Samsu and Hwangyeon districts serve as the primary transportation hub encountered by visitors to Taebaek. Accordingly, efforts to improve transportation infrastructure are underway.

KORAIL is currently carrying out a 15.5 billion won remodeling project for Taebaek Station, which is expected to not only improve the user environment but also enhance the city’s image.

Additionally, the EMU-150 (ITX-Maum) train, originally scheduled for introduction in 2028, began operation in 2023, about five years ahead of schedule, and will gradually replace existing trains in the future.

Meanwhile, the Yeongwol–Taebaek–Samcheok Expressway project has passed the preliminary feasibility study, and Taebaek City is actively consulting with relevant agencies to ensure that the local area is reflected in the future route plan.

If these improvements to the rail and road networks and the modernization of the bus terminal proceed in tandem, the Samsu and Hwangyeon districts are expected to emerge as the core gateway to Taebaek, concentrating wide-area transportation.

Enhancing Residential Environments: From Aging Neighborhoods to Everyday Infrastructure

Efforts to improve residential environments and expand everyday infrastructure are also being pursued in parallel.

Taebaek City is promoting a public project to renovate aging residential areas in Hwangyeon-dong and Samsu-dong, with a budget of approximately 9 billion won, aiming to refurbish old houses and vacant homes while expanding living SOC (social overhead capital).

Through these initiatives, the city seeks to reduce safety risks, create a pleasant residential environment, and establish community spaces to help restore community functions.

In addition, improvements to pedestrian environments and nighttime landscapes within living zones are planned.

The city intends to install street landscape lights and LED strip lighting in major sections of the Samsu and Hwangyeon districts, including the Eommokgyo–Taebaek Station intersection section, to enhance pedestrian safety and improve the city’s image.

Furthermore, the city is considering an underground wiring project for the Taebaek Station intersection–Eommokgyo section, where narrow sidewalks and utility/communication poles have caused pedestrian inconvenience.

If these related projects are promoted in phases, the overall pedestrian environment within living areas will improve, along with the daily convenience and safety of residents.

Commercial District Revitalization: Transforming 'Nodaji-gil' into an Experiential Hub

In the Samsu and Hwangyeon districts, efforts are underway to both restore commercial areas and expand the foundation for stay-type consumption.

Taebaek City is implementing a “Food Alley Commercial District Revitalization Project” in the Samsu-dong area, stretching from Taebaek Station to Hwangji Yeonmot, with a total budget of 6.2 billion won.

The core of this project is to build the “Nodaji-gil” commercial district brand through commercial environment improvements, specialized brand development, and tourism content operations, fostering a stay-type commercial district that combines Taebaek’s historical, cultural, and tourism resources.

A wide range of both hardware and software-focused initiatives are planned, including themed street development, street design, nighttime landscape production, specialized product and merchandise development, youth entrepreneurship support, renovation of aging stores, and training programs to strengthen merchant capabilities.

Additionally, improvements to the parking environment are being pursued in parallel to enhance accessibility and convenience for users of the commercial district.

The Food Alley area is a key transportation hub adjacent to Taebaek Station and the intercity bus terminal, and as a central living zone that combines commercial and residential functions, it has long suffered from a shortage of parking spaces relative to floating population, causing ongoing inconvenience.

Accordingly, in 2024, the city created and is operating a vacant lot parking lot with 80 spaces near the intercity bus terminal, and plans to develop a public parking lot on this site in the future to establish a stable parking infrastructure.

In addition, 18 more parking spaces were secured near Mokyang Church in 2025, and in 2026, the city plans to utilize additional vacant land to expand parking capacity by 10 more spaces.

 "From a City to Pass Through, to a City to Stay In"

Taebaek City plans to connect these projects as an integrated structure rather than as separate initiatives, driving urban transformation.

A Taebaek City official stated, “The Samsu and Hwangyeon districts are core areas that shape the first impression of Taebaek. We will create a structure where transportation, tourism, commercial areas, and residential areas are organically connected, transforming the city into one where citizens and visitors alike choose to stay.”

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