Chuncheon to Revive Local Construction Activity Through Gangchon Urban Regeneration

【Financial News | Chuncheon—Kim Gi-seop, Reporter】The 25 billion won to be invested in reviving Gangchon, once synonymous with college student orientation trips and train travel, is expected to generate work for Chuncheon-based construction firms starting at the design stage.
According to Chuncheon on the 30th, the city has begun work in earnest on the design for the Gangchon Specialized Urban Regeneration Project and will apply for the first time to this project measures recently devised to stimulate the local construction industry. Selected in June for MOLIT's regional-specialized urban regeneration competition, the project will invest 15 billion won in national funding and 10 billion won in local funds to transform the Gangchon-ri area of Namsan-myeon into a long-stay tourism hub combining tourism, culture, and local commerce by 2030.
The project will be carried out in three areas: the Sensory Play Garden, the Ecological Play Garden, and the Exchange Culture Garden. Around the former Gangchon Station, the Gangchon Sangsang Plaza will be built with the Gangchon Sangsang Garden Station and a garden plaza. An ecological experience center for children and a garden-tunnel walking trail will be created around Gangchoncheon. Gangchon-ro will be developed into Garden Street, featuring street gardens and pedestrian-friendly spaces that will connect tourists with local businesses. The plan is to turn Gangchon, which has declined as transportation conditions and tourist flows have changed, from a place people merely pass through into one where they stay.
Chuncheon will also change its procurement methods so that this large-scale investment leads not only to the creation of facilities but also to income for the local construction industry. Within the limits permitted by law and without compromising quality or safety management, the city will pursue separate contracts for architectural, civil engineering, landscaping, and other trades. Depending on the size of each project, it will also actively use negotiated contracts with local firms and bidding restricted to local companies.
The city is also considering subdividing the trades from the design stage to identify areas in which local firms can participate, while increasing the use of local materials and workers during construction. Chuncheon plans to expand these measures, introduced in response to the nationwide construction slump, to other major projects.
A Chuncheon official said, "The 25 billion won Gangchon urban regeneration project should not be limited to leaving buildings behind; it must circulate money among businesses within the city, local workers, and the materials market. We will divide the architectural, civil engineering, and landscaping contracts from the design stage, proactively apply negotiated contracts with local firms and bidding restricted to local companies, and ensure that the industry feels the benefits of winning contracts. We will also bring renewed vitality to Gangchon's commercial district, once a popular destination for college student orientation trips."

[email protected] Kim Gi-seop Reporter