Yongin Special City Mayor Lee Sang-il declared Monday his strong commitment to building a Bandabi Sports Center, making the announcement at a senior staff meeting held at the city hall video conference room.
The project had stalled in March after the city council rejected it, throwing off the original timeline of breaking ground in 2027 and completing construction by late 2028. Lee made clear he would not allow that delay to stand.
"Yongin has a disabled population of 37,757, and demand for sports facilities for people with disabilities is growing," Lee said. "The city must spare no effort or investment to meet that demand."
Lee told senior officials that he had already expressed regret, as mayor, over the council's decision to reject the shared-property management plan for the project — a move he said was driven by a particular party ahead of the local elections. "The city council that has served alongside me during the eighth elected term ends its tenure this month," he said. "Let us work together with the newly constituted council taking shape next month to make the Bandabi Sports Center a reality."
The center is planned for the temporary parking lot site at Yongin Mir Stadium in Samga-dong, Cheoin-gu, with a total floor area of 23,700 square meters. The facility will include a 50-meter, 10-lane pool — large enough to host national-level competitions — along with more than 2,000 spectator seats, an aquatic exercise room and a diving pool.
The city has secured 4 billion won (about $2.63 million) in central government funding after being selected for the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's program to build community-based sports centers for people with disabilities.
A revised construction plan cleared the city's own shared-property review committee on May 28, and the city plans to submit the updated shared-property management plan to a Yongin City Council extraordinary session scheduled for July.
Seven Bandabi sports centers already operate across Gyeonggi Province, in Anyang, Dongducheon, Hwaseong, Gwangju, Gimpo, Pocheon and Gapyeong-gun.
Mayor Lee has actively pursued disability-friendly policies throughout his four-year eighth elected term.
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