By Kim Rahn
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon opposes the opening of an off-track betting outlet in Yongsan, central Seoul, saying the facility is located inappropriately close to a residential area, which includes a school.
Park’s opinion may make it hard for the Korea Racing Authority (KRA), the operator of such outlets, to push ahead with opening the facility in June despite two years of opposition from residents there.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG), Tuesday, Park recently asked Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Lee Dong-phil to meet to request a shutdown or relocation of the off-track betting outlet. The KRA is an affiliate of the ministry.
“Seoul City does not have authority to prevent the outlet from operating,” a city official said. “But Park will tell Lee that gambling outlets should not be set up in the center of the city, especially near a school. He’ll ask Lee to close or move it to the outskirts of the city.”
An off-track betting outlet is where horseracing is broadcast and people can bet without having to actually visit the racetracks.
In 2010, the KRA obtained approval for the construction of the facility from the district office by reporting it as a “facility for cultural gathering.” But when the building was completed in September 2013, it disclosed the detailed plans to run an off-course outlet there.
The building is near Sacred Heart Girls’ High School, and students can look down on it from their classrooms.
Residents have claimed that the betting outlet will damage the academic atmosphere and encourage gambling.
Not only residents but also the SMG, Seoul Metropolitan Council, Yongsan District Office and Yongsan District Council have opposed the opening of the betting outlet.
“If the KRA had revealed its plan from the beginning, the district office wouldn’t have approved it,” the city official said.
Following such protests, the KRA opened parts of the building in January by establishing a book cafe and cultural lecture center there. But it is not yet operating the betting parlor.
A ministry official said that Lee has no reason to refuse to talk with Park, saying the two sides are arranging a meeting.
“But we approved the outlet in 2010,” the official said. “Whether to operate it or not depends on the KRA. We believe the KRA will persuade residents and take supplementary measures before operating it.”
KRA CEO Hyun Myung-kwan said in April that he hoped to begin operating the outlet in the first half of this year.