A 47.7 Billion Won Complex Cultural Center to Be Built at Jeju National University, Opening the Pool and Gym to Residents

[Financial News, Jeju = Jung Yong-bok] A 47.7 billion won complex cultural center with a 25-meter, eight-lane swimming pool, an indoor gymnasium and a lifelong education center will be built on JNU's Ara Campus. By using university land, the project will reduce the burden of separate land acquisition and operate as a hub for sports, culture and daily life for both university members and local residents.
According to Jeju Special Self-Governing Province on the 24th, Governor Wi Seong-gon and JNU President Yang Deok-soon signed a memorandum of understanding that afternoon in the university president's office for the construction and operation of the tentatively named Jeju National University Ara Complex Cultural Center.
The two sides agreed to cooperate on administrative and financial support needed for the center's construction, as well as on boosting use by residents after completion.
The Ara Complex Cultural Center will be built on JNU's Ara Campus with a total floor area of 10,000 square meters. It will have one basement level and four floors above ground. Facilities will include a 25-meter, eight-lane swimming pool, a multipurpose indoor gymnasium and a lifelong education center.
The total project cost is 47.682 billion won. Of that, 33.377 billion won in national funding accounts for 70 percent of the total. Jeju Island will provide 14.305 billion won in local funding, or 30 percent. The province plans to spread its contribution over five years.
The project is scheduled to begin in January 2027 and continue through December 2032. It was preliminarily selected for the Ministry of Education's school-complex facility project in March and was finalized in May.

The center is being built in response to rapidly growing demand for sports and cultural facilities in Ara-dong. As apartment complexes have increased and residential functions have expanded around JNU and the Advanced Science and Technology Complex, the local population and floating population have grown. However, residents have continued to call for more large-scale public sports and cultural facilities.
It has also been difficult to secure public land for new facilities. Rising land prices have made land acquisition more costly, so Jeju Island and JNU chose to use land already owned by the university. The plan is to build the facility on campus, open it to local residents and achieve the effect of expanding public infrastructure at the same time.
JNU also held a briefing session in June for resident representatives from Ara-dong regarding the candidate site for the center. The process was intended to reflect accessibility and actual convenience for residents rather than having the university make a unilateral decision on the location. A key issue going forward will be how to design an operating system that makes the facility easy for local residents to use.
JNU President Yang Deok-soon said, "It will not be a space only for university members, but a complex cultural and sports facility open to the community near Ara-dong." He added, "We will communicate thoroughly from the design stage so that residents' actual needs are reflected in the facility."
Governor Wi Seong-gon said, "This will be an opportunity for Jeju Island and JNU to strengthen their roles within the local community." He added, "We will look for ways to invest more in the growth of university students and young people and contribute to the development of Jeju as a whole."
[email protected] Jung Yong-bok Reporter