The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will promote regional development projects to repurpose idle facilities such as closed schools and disused railway bridges into community living and cultural hubs at 15 sites nationwide, including Hongcheon, Gangwon, and Andong, North Gyeongsang.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) said on the 22nd that it selected 15 growth-promotion areas through the call for the "2026 region demand-tailored support project." The region demand-tailored support project supports the creation of living convenience, cultural, and welfare facilities for 70 cities and counties with weak growth foundations. Local governments identify and apply for projects that match local conditions and resident needs.
A total project cost of about 80.4 billion won will be invested in the 15 projects selected this year. Of that, 38.9 billion won is national funding, with up to 3 billion won supported per project. The selected areas will go through designation as regional development project zones and procedures to flesh out project plans, with work set to begin in 2027.
This year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) focused on selecting projects closely tied to daily life that residents can actually use, and projects that improve fiscal efficiency by utilizing idle assets such as closed schools and aging public facilities. The project types include regeneration and utilization of idle assets, expansion of medical and care services, revitalization of cultural and tourism resources, and improvements to transportation convenience and settlement infrastructure.
Looking in detail, many of this year's region demand-tailored support projects convert idle assets into community living hubs. Hongcheon, Gangwon, will turn a closed school into an arts playground centered on children and families. Andong, North Gyeongsang, will remodel the decommissioned Andong Railway Bridge into a stay space where people can walk and rest.
Sancheong, South Gyeongsang, will renovate spaces that are old or underused into a multiuse community convenience complex where visitors can taste, experience, and purchase traditional herbal medicine. Local youth are expected to take part in operating the facility.
Projects were also selected for areas with declining populations that lack medical and care infrastructure. Yeongdong, North Chungcheong, will expand an aging health clinic to create a "Health Stepping-stone Platform" that offers treatment and health-promotion programs together. In Haenam, South Jeolla, a barrier-free smart rehabilitation hub jointly used by the four counties of Haenam, Wando, Jindo, and Gangjin will be established. It is a wide-area cooperation model that reduces redundant investment by having adjacent local governments share facilities.
Goryeong, North Gyeongsang, will create the "Daegaya Harmony Center," combining distinctive lodging facilities with daily convenience functions. Danyang, North Chungcheong, plans to refurbish shared spaces, a small park, and a sports field across Danseong-myeon to serve as a base for everyday sports and resident communities.
Projects will also link unique local cultural and tourism resources to resident income. Jeongseon, Gangwon, will build a co-prosperity hub center around Mindungsan Station that combines visitor information facilities with resident convenience facilities. The idea is to turn a pass-through tourist destination where visitors only stop briefly into a stay-type destination.
Buyeo, South Chungcheong, will expand visitor facilities such as a parking lot and a small park at the Baekje Gilt-bronze Incense Burner cultural experience center. Jeongeup, North Jeolla, will create a garden-style resident harmony space in the city center equipped with a well plaza and pocket rest areas. Jangheung, South Jeolla, will create a "Nobel Literature Village" featuring a bookstore and a literature park by utilizing the creative asset of writer Han Seung-won. Cheongsong, North Gyeongsang, will establish a stay hub for Sinchon Mineral Spring Village by linking local resources such as mineral springs and an art museum.
Projects to build transportation and settlement infrastructure to draw in the daytime population were also included. Jinan, North Jeolla, will establish a complex hub that combines eco-friendly, energy self-sufficient lodging with smart mobility. Yeongwol, Gangwon, will create a complex hub that connects short-term stays by rural-study families to long-term settlement. Gangjin, South Jeolla, will build a multilevel public parking lot to ease downtown parking shortages and revitalize nearby commercial districts.
Jeong Eui-gyeong, director general for national territory and urban affairs at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), said, "We will support the use of local idle assets such as closed schools and public facilities for facilities essential to residents' daily lives," adding, "We will manage the projects so they produce results quickly and can spread as successful models in other regions."