Chuncheon City and local soccer fans are protesting when Kim Byung-ji, CEO of Gangwon FC, announced plans to relocate the Chuncheon Secretariat to Gangneung.
On the 9th, CEO Kim Byeong-ji held a press conference at the media room of the main stadium of Songam Sports Town in Chuncheon and said, “I understand that the secretariat will be relocated to Gangneung at the end of this season.” I know what you did,” he said.
In response, Chuncheon City and local soccer fans are raising the level of resistance, saying, “It is nonsense.”
Choi Dae-shik, president of the Gangwon FC Chuncheon fan club, said, “I looked up the press conference article and doubted my eyes. I don’t know why I suddenly made this decision. He said, “If we do not withdraw the relocation of the office, we will not hesitate to visit Gangwon FC to protest, attach banners, and take group actions at the stadium.”
Gangwon FC is currently operating two clubhouses in Chuncheon and Gangneung. The Chuncheon Secretariat mainly provides administrative support, while the Gangneung Secretariat focuses on running the athletes.
The Chuncheon Office had to move around several times. In the early days of its establishment in 2008, it was known that it prepared and used an office near the county government building, moved to Gangneung, and returned to Chuncheon around 2016.
The Chuncheon Office, which used an office in Janghak-ri, Chuncheon for rent until early 2019, ran into problems with its distance from Songam Stadium, narrow space, and lack of parking.
Then, Gangwon FC moved to an empty space on the second floor of the Gangwon Gymnasium in Songam-dong that year. However, since the Gangwon Sports Science Center was built in its place, we moved again after 1 year and 9 months.
As a result, they took a seat on the first floor of Uiam Baseball Stadium, where the Futures game is held in the current location of Songam Sports Town. Uiam Baseball Stadium has the advantage of being very close to Gangwon FC Stadium and having a large parking space, but it is known that there are significant disadvantages as there is an office in the stadium.
If the Chuncheon Office is to be relocated to Gangneung, all 20 or so employees will have to move to Gangneung as well.
An official from Chuncheon City said, “We are currently trying to determine the authenticity. If the Chuncheon Secretariat is cramped or inconvenient, we are willing to move it to another place,” he said. “We are also considering measures in connection with civil society.”
An official from Gangneung City replied, “Last year, while talking with CEO Lee Young-pyo, we discussed the relocation of the secretariat.”
However, an official from Gangwon FC said, “Nothing has been decided yet (regarding the relocation of the Chuncheon Office).”