Economic ripple effect of KRW 36 billion… Plays a role in attracting field training such as briefing sessions and providing a customized training environment for cities and counties
Jeonnam Province, with its mild climate, excellent sports infrastructure, and systematic support from each city and county, is attracting attention as a ‘winter training mecca’ that athletes from all over the country visit every winter. The photo shows volleyball players undergoing winter training in Gangjin. Provided by Jeollanam-do
【Financial News Muan = Reporter Hwang Tae-jong】Jeonnam-do is attracting attention as the center of winter training across the country.
This is because the average winter temperature in the Jeonnam region is 2.6 degrees, which is 2.2 degrees higher than the national average temperature (0.4 degrees), so the risk of training interruption is low due to low snow cover, and the expansion of the KTX and highway networks has greatly improved accessibility in the metropolitan area and the Yeongnam and Honam regions.
In particular, each city and county provides a customized field training environment based on sports complexes, all-weather training facilities, artificial turf fields, indoor gymnasiums, weight training centers, and support for lodging, meals, and transportation. We also operate training facility rental fee reductions and local tourism programs, and athletes from all over the country continue to visit every winter.
According to Jeonnam Province on the 31st, a large number of athletes from various sports, including soccer, baseball, track and field, and badminton, are visiting and training in each city and county in Jeollanam-do during the 2025-2026 winter training period. The mild climate, excellent sports infrastructure, and unprecedented support from local governments play a role.
In the case of Gangjin-gun, it has a mild winter climate and a variety of sports infrastructure such as a comprehensive stadium, soccer-specific stadium, and multi-purpose indoor gymnasium. It is well-received by providing local love gift certificates depending on the period and number of visitors.
Over 200 teams in 6 sports, including soccer, bowling, volleyball, and badminton, from all over the country, with a total of 38,000 athletes, are scheduled to stay for an average of 9 days, strengthening its status as a long-term training camp.
Mokpo City holds winter training camps and stove leagues one after another, with 35 teams in 4 sports, including track and field, soccer, and baseball, with an annual workforce of about 11,000 people training. An additional 3,000 people from 15 teams in three sports, including soccer, track and field, and hockey, are scheduled to visit by February. We are also working to increase the repeat visit rate by providing local love gift certificate incentives and providing transportation convenience.
With the completion of Haenam Sports Park and Old School Gymnasium, Haenam-gun aims to attract 41,000 people in 12 sports, an increase of more than 10,000 people compared to last year. The ‘Haenam Spo-tour’, which combines training and tourism, is being launched for the training camp, and the winter training rehabilitation center, where five professional trainers are stationed, is being provided free of charge.
Gurye-gun has 73 teams in 4 sports, including 38 soccer teams, 19 taekwondo teams, and 14 wrestling teams, and about 16,700 people are training in winter training. If you stay for more than 5 days, we provide partial support for your stay with a local love gift certificate and bottled water for the athletes. In February, the Gurye Nogodanbae Youth Soccer Festival is scheduled to be held in conjunction with field training.
Hosting winter training camps is also providing substantial help to the local economy. Accommodation, food, transportation, and household consumption generated during the athletes’ stay are leading to increased sales of local small businesses, and are also showing the effect of revitalizing the off-season tourism industry.
In fact, the Jeonnam region attracted training for a total of 64 sports, 2,854 teams, and 916,000 people per year from September 2024 to August 2025, resulting in a regional economic ripple effect of about 94.3 billion won. Among these, only during the winter training period (November 2024 to February 2025), 29 sports, 1,548 teams, and 350,000 people per year visit Jeonnam, solidifying its position as a ‘holy place for winter training.’ The economic ripple effect amounts to 36 billion won. The regional economic ripple effect of hosting annual field training tripled from KRW 31.5 billion in 2022 to KRW 94.3 billion over the past three years.
Jeonnam Province is making every effort to attract field training by holding field training briefing sessions and fam tours to contribute to increasing the living population and revitalizing the local economy. In order to build optimal sports infrastructure, cities and counties with excellent attracting performance in the previous year are selected every year and incentives for sports facility renovation are also provided.
An official from Jeollanam-do said, “Jeonnam-do is the best training ground with the three elements of climate, facilities, and support system,” and added, “We will continue to strengthen our status as a ‘holy place for winter training’ by creating an environment that is satisfactory to the athletes and coaches.”
hwangtae@fnnews.com Reporter Hwang Tae-jong
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