At Jeju Horse Festival, governor to renew call to move Korea Racing Authority (KRA) headquarters to Jeju ... Wi Seong-gon to meet Chairman Woo Hee-jong

【Financial News, Jeju—Jeong Yong-bok】 Jeju Governor Wi Seong-gon will meet KRA Chairman Woo Hee-jong at Jeju Horse Festival on the 24th and again propose moving KRA headquarters to Jeju. Following the delivery of a relocation proposal in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 1st, he plans to discuss ways to promote the industry at the national level by drawing on Jeju’s horse-industry infrastructure.
According to Jeju Special Self-Governing Province on the 22nd, the 21st Jeju Horse Festival will be held on the 24th and 25th at LetsRun Park Jeju in Aewol-eup, Jeju City. The event is co-hosted by Jeju Province and KRA and organized by KRA’s Jeju Regional Headquarters.
This year’s festival brings together horse racing, horse-culture experiences and performances under the theme “The Lives of Jeju Residents with Jeju Horses.” In particular, Jeju Province plans to seek cooperation on relocating KRA headquarters through a tea meeting between Governor Wi and Chairman Woo on the festival’s first day.
Jeju Province said that on the 1st, Governor Wi and Song Young-houn, chair of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Council, visited KRA headquarters in Gwacheon and delivered a proposal to relocate it to Jeju to Chairman Woo. At the time, the province cited existing industry infrastructure, including horse breeding and development and horse-racing facilities, as well as support to help employees settle in Jeju, as grounds for the move.
Jeju is the country’s largest horse-breeding region, with more than half of all horses raised nationwide concentrated there. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ “2025 Horse Industry Survey,” 14,876 of the 27,165 horses raised nationwide (54.8%) are in Jeju.
Jeju’s performance in operating its horse-industry special zone is also among the best nationwide. In the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ “2026 Assessment of Implementation of Horse Industry Special Zone Development Plans,” announced on the 14th, Jeju Province ranked first among the country’s four special zones. It has ranked first for 12 consecutive years since being designated the country’s first horse-industry special zone in 2014.

KRA is the body that conducts horse racing in South Korea and is also the agency responsible for promoting the horse industry under the Horse Industry Promotion Act. Jeju Province cites the ability to link horse breeding and development, training, racing and tourism in one region as grounds for relocating KRA headquarters.
On the festival’s first day, the 24th, the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Governor’s Cup Stakes will be held to test the racing ability of Jeju horses. At 4:30 p.m., 10 Jeju horses will compete for a total purse of 150 million won.
That evening, the Reckless Hero Run will be held in tribute to Reckless, the military horse who served during the Korean War. Participants will run on the actual racetrack; the event includes a 3.2-kilometer competitive run and a 400-meter family run.
The Reckless Concert, featuring singers GMX and Gavy NJ, among others, will be held on the evening of the 25th.
Experiential programs themed around “malteuri,” the term for traditional Jeju herders, will also be offered during the festival. They will include the Jeju Horse Heritage Lounge, which introduces the history and culture of Jeju horses, a malteuri experience area, children’s play facilities and a sales area for local Jeju products.
Kim Young-jun, director-general of Jeju Province’s Bureau of Agriculture, Livestock and Food, said, “I hope this festival will serve as an opportunity to highlight the historical value of Jeju horses and expand links between the horse industry and tourism and culture.”


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