Children and families pet miniature horses at Let's Run Park Yeongcheon. [North Gyeongsang Province]
Children and families pet miniature horses at Let's Run Park Yeongcheon. [North Gyeongsang Province]

Let's Run Park Yeongcheon drew 27,122 visitors during its four-day opening festival held on weekends from Sept. 12 to Sept. 20, North Gyeongsang Province announced Wednesday.

Children accounted for 7,029 of those visitors, reflecting strong interest from families. The event also attracted couples and friend groups alongside families with young children and infants.

The opening festival featured hands-on programs including miniature horse and pony feeding sessions and horse-themed craft activities, which proved popular with children and families.

North Gyeongsang Province plans to develop Let's Run Park Yeongcheon from a horse-racing-focused facility into a new regional tourism hub that blends equestrian culture, experiential activities and sightseeing.

The province intends to expand seasonal cultural events and horse-experience programs, activate spaces for walking and relaxation, and develop tourism products linked to Yeongcheon's broader tourism resources — aiming to extend visitors' stays and boost local tourism.

A second-phase park development project will further strengthen the facility's tourism and leisure functions. Once additional park, rest and activity spaces are completed, the venue is expected to serve as a new tourism and leisure destination for residents and tourists not only on race days but throughout the year.

To advance the second phase smoothly, the province will focus its administrative efforts on resolving a local tax exemption cap issue currently acting as a constraint and on laying the groundwork for the project.

"We will work to resolve the local tax exemption cap issue standing in the way of the second-phase park development as quickly as possible, and ensure that Let's Run Park Yeongcheon establishes itself as a leading hub for the horse industry and leisure tourism in South Korea," North Gyeongsang Province Governor Lee Cheol-woo said.


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com