Daegu City reaches 19,710-signature target early in bid to host a 'dome stadium'

【Financial News Daegu = Reporter Kim Jang-wook】Daegu City, which is staking everything on securing a 'dome stadium,' has reached its target early in a signature drive supporting the bid.
Daegu scored a major achievement by reaching ahead of schedule the target for its '19,710-person citywide signature campaign,' which it has been conducting since October 15 to secure a dome stadium.
The signature drive was launched to honor the historical significance of Daegu Gymnasium, built in 1971 with citizens' precious contributions and serving as a cradle of local sports for half a century, and to express hopes for success in securing the dome stadium.
Mayor Choo Kyung-ho said, 'I sincerely thank the 2.4 million citizens who joined together to help us reach the 19,710-signature mark ahead of schedule in such a short period,' and stressed, 'Although we have already met our initial goal, we plan to continue the signature drive, carrying the dreams and hopes of each and every citizen.'
He added, 'Building on citizens' earnest hopes for the bid, we will mobilize all the administrative resources at our disposal to ensure we are ultimately selected for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) open-call project.'
According to the city, the signature drive began with Mayor Choo providing the first signature at the citywide rally on October 15. It drew a strong response, with voluntary participation continuing among ordinary citizens as well as people from the sports, culture and arts, and business sectors.
As a result, the city reached its initial target of 19,710 signatures ahead of schedule in just 20 days, demonstrating citizens' enthusiasm and solidarity behind the dome stadium, an anchor facility that will drive the southern region into an era of 17 million.
The city formally announced last September that it planned to build a 20,000-seat dome stadium in the area around the Universiade Tennis Courts in Daegu Duryu Park.
It then submitted a letter of intent to the MCST on October 26 and is making every effort to prepare a project proposal by operating a dome stadium bid task force headed by the vice mayor for administrative affairs, with the Daegu Policy Research Institute and outside experts among its members.

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