New ICC plan advanced in Korea, Gangwon style

Plans for the construction of a new international convention centre in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, South Korea, have been put forward for approval by the authorities. Those advocating for the new facility – the first ICC in the province – believe such a venue can catapult Gangwon into the top three rankings for MICE destinations in the country. Situated in the northeast corner of South Korea, Gangwon Province offers great natural landscapes and retreats, and includes the cities of Gangneung, Chuncheon, and Pyeongchang. The province hosted the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and is connected by an extension of a KTX (high-speed bullet train) to the capital city Seoul in under two hours. Demand for an international convention centre in the province has been growing steadily and Gangwon ranked fourth in the country for MICE events hosted (2018). The top three regions for number of annual MICE events hosted in Korea are currently Seoul, Gyeonggi and Busan, which all operating large-scale convention centres – COEX (Seoul), KINTEX (Gyeonggi), and BEXCO (Busan). According to preliminary Gangwon plans, the new convention centre, to be built on Hajungdo Island in Chuncheon, is expected to have a site area of 54,200sqm, and total floor area of 36,900sqm. The project’s total cost is estimated at 149 billion won (US$133.5m). The island is also home to the new Lego Land Theme Park, currently under construction and tentatively set for opening 2022.   Photo: Seoraksan Mountain in Gangwon, one of many natural landmarks in the province