People Power Party candidate Kim Tae-heum, running for governor of South Chungcheong Province, pledged to build a Cheonan–Asan dome arena and to attract a Starfield retail complex to the region.
After formally launching his campaign the day before, Kim held a press conference at his Cheonan campaign office on the 10th. He described the dome arena planned for completion in 2031 as “not just a performance venue but a core growth engine for Chungnam,” adding that he is in close discussions with major domestic corporations and expects to present tangible results soon.
Last year, Kim outlined a goal to complete the dome by 2031 and operate it year-round as one of the country’s largest cultural and sports hubs, hosting professional baseball, soccer, an ice rink and K-pop performances.
He said the plan calls for a site of more than 25 hectares—about a 10-minute walk from KTX Cheonan-Asan Station—and a venue of over 50,000 seats, with an estimated investment of roughly 1 trillion KRW (approximately $750 million). The arena would host K-pop shows, exhibitions and corporate events on approximately 150–200 days a year. A regional multimodal transfer center, an international exhibition and convention center, and an esports arena are also planned to generate synergy with the dome.
Kim has shown a strong attachment to the dome arena project.
On a recent broadcast, when asked which projects he would complete if given an additional four years, he listed several and put the Cheonan–Asan 50,000-seat K-pop dome first. “It will be a space for sports such as baseball and soccer as well as K-pop performances,” he said. “I want to fill those 50,000 seats and use that momentum to help Cheonan–Asan grow into a city of 1.5 million residents.”
He reiterated his vision for the dome at the press conference.
Kim outlined plans to attract more than 30 professional baseball games a year to the 50,000-seat dome and to host K-pop shows year-round, aiming to spur simultaneous growth in sports, culture, tourism and retail. He said he would leverage the strategic location of Cheonan-Asan Station—where KTX and SRT lines intersect—to build a tourism corridor encouraging domestic and international visitors to base themselves in Cheonan–Asan and visit Baekje heritage sites in Gongju and Buyeo and marine destinations in Boryeong.
He also proposed building a tram between Cheonan and Asan, placing the Gyeongbu Line segment from Cheonan Station to Dujung Station underground and creating an ecological park above it, attracting a Starfield to the multimodal transfer center, and developing an urban lake within residential districts.
On the stalled effort to administratively merge Daejeon and Chungnam before the June 3 local elections, Kim said he would complete a referendum and elect an integrated mayor by the 2028 general election. “This will not be a simple boundary merger,” he said. “We will establish a Chungcheong regional economic zone with maximized central funding and expanded local autonomy, positioning it as a key pillar of balanced national development.”
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