Yongin VR Sports Center Sees Surge in Visitors, Emerges as a Hub for Sports for the Disabled

Yongin’s "Virtual Reality Sports Experience Center" Surpasses 4,500 Users in 2025
Key Hub Supporting Sports Activities for People with Disabilities
Benchmarking Visits from Local Governments Nationwide Continue
Mayor Lee Sangil: "Regret Over Bandabi Sports Center Delay Due to City Council Rejection"
Yongin City: "Renewed Push for Bandabi Sports Center Construction... Strengthening Sports Welfare for People with Disabilities"

The "Virtual Reality (VR) Sports Experience Center" operated by Yongin Special City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Sangil) has established itself as a nationwide core hub supporting sports for the disabled and rehabilitation, just over a year after its opening.

A view of the "Virtual Reality Sports Experience Center" in Yeokbuk-dong, Cheoin-gu, Yongin Special City. Provided by Yongin City.

Yongin Special City opened the center for the first time in Gyeonggi Province in June 2024 at the site of the former vehicle registration office in Yukbok-dong, Cheoin-gu. This facility was created to allow people with disabilities and students with disabilities to safely enjoy sports activities regardless of weather or external conditions, and since its opening, the number of users has surged dramatically.

The "Virtual Reality Sports Experience Center" is the fourth to be established nationwide and the first in Gyeonggi Province. For its opening, Yongin Special City, the Korea Paralympic Committee, and the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education collaborated from 2023 to 2024. Yongin Special City provided KRW 100 million for remodeling, while the Korea Paralympic Committee and the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education contributed KRW 300 million and KRW 200 million, respectively.

With a lack of sports facilities accessible to people with disabilities, this "Virtual Reality Sports Experience Center," where both people with and without disabilities can participate together, continues to attract visitors from across Gyeonggi Province.

Many local governments also visit the "Virtual Reality Sports Experience Center" for benchmarking purposes.

From June to December 2024, a total of 2,308 people used the "Virtual Reality Sports Experience Center." Of these, 1,775 were people with disabilities and 533 were people without disabilities. In 2025, the number of users without disabilities increased, resulting in a significant rise in the overall number of users. From January to December last year, 4,557 people used the center, including 2,060 people with disabilities and 2,497 people without disabilities.

Officials from Pyeongtaek City and Pyeongtaek City Council are visiting the "Virtual Reality Sports Experience" center in Yongin Special City, touring the facilities. Provided by Yongin City

This year as well, the number of users at Yongin Special City's "Virtual Reality Sports Experience Center" continues to rise. From January to March, the number of users reached 1,093, representing an increase of nearly 10% compared to the same period of the previous year.

The "Virtual Reality Sports Experience Center" in Yongin Special City operates five days a week, running programs divided into three time slots per day. All reservations must be made online through the Yongin Special City Sports Association for the Disabled website.

For the first session (9:30 AM to 11:30 AM) and the second session (1:30 PM to 3:30 PM) on Tuesdays and Thursdays, students with disabilities are given priority for reservations in accordance with agreements made with the special education offices in the southern Gyeonggi region.

Mayor Lee Sangil has emphasized at various disability-related events that "the city will continue to invest in reducing inconveniences for people with disabilities and breaking down barriers between people with and without disabilities." In line with this, the city has made significant efforts to expand infrastructure for people with disabilities.

Last year, the city established the nation's first smart rehabilitation center at the Giheung Welfare Center for the Disabled. The center supports rehabilitation for even those with the most severe disabilities who have difficulty moving independently, by using three-stage autonomous walking robots.

A scene from the 'Virtual Reality Sports Experience Center' program in Yongin Special City. Provided by Yongin City

The community sports facilities established at the Bojeong Mir Human Center and Dongbaek Mir Human Center, which officially began operations on April 1, are open to everyone regardless of disability or age group, and are expected to greatly benefit the sports activities of people with disabilities.

The Giheung Sports Center, which opened in July last year, and the Dongbaek Mir Human Center, which opened in April, both feature 25-meter public swimming pools. These pools are the only ones in the country equipped with family shower rooms, changing rooms, and restrooms, making them more convenient for people with disabilities to use.

However, despite these achievements, the city's ambitious "Bandabi Sports Center" construction project has encountered difficulties. On March 20, during its 301st extraordinary session, the Yongin City Council rejected the public property management plan for the "Bandabi Sports Center."

The Bandabi Sports Center was selected for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s living-friendly (barrier-free) public sports center project, securing KRW 4 billion in national funding. Planned for construction on the temporary parking lot site of Yongin Mir Stadium, the center was designed to have a total floor area of 52,452 square meters, featuring a 50-meter pool with 10 lanes, more than 2,000 spectator seats, a diving pool, and a physical fitness certification center for people with disabilities. However, due to the council's rejection, the planned construction start in 2027 and completion by the end of 2028 are now inevitably delayed.

Regarding this, Mayor Lee Sangil stated, "In a situation where there is a shortage of facilities to support rehabilitation and sports activities for people with disabilities, the Bandabi Sports Center, along with the Virtual Reality Sports Experience Center, Bojeong Mir Human Center, and Dongbaek Mir Human Center, drew great interest from people with disabilities. However, the rejection by the city council has disrupted the construction plans, which is regrettable."

A scene from the "Virtual Reality Sports Experience Center" program in Yongin Special City. Provided by Yongin City

An official from Yongin City said, "Most organizations and sports associations for people with disabilities, as well as the majority of people with disabilities themselves, have expressed that they cannot understand the decision. The city will do its utmost to ensure that the Bandabi Sports Center is built."

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