Seoul city council members say, “This kind of lawn is a disgrace to the capital city of Seoul”…Seoul’s budget for Sangam grass will be ‘tripled’ to 3.3 billion won

(Sports Chosun Reporter Jeon Young-ji) The Seoul Metropolitan Government will triple the lawn maintenance budget at Seoul Sangam World Cup Stadium to 3.3 billion won.

The Seoul Facilities Corporation requested the Seoul City Council to triple its budget for lawn management at the World Cup Stadium from this year’s 1.1 billion won.

First, the amount of grass supply will be increased by 2.5 times to immediately prepare for damage to grass due to bad weather, performances, etc. We plan to increase the amount of outdoor grass purchased from 1,700 m2 to 4,500 m2, and the amount of spare grass that we directly grow and procure from 2,500 m2 to 5,000 m2. Equipment to help grass grow has also been significantly increased. We plan to install five additional artificial light systems, up from the existing two, to help the photosynthesis of grass, and purchase five additional blowers to help with ventilation during the high temperature and humidity of the summer. In the long term, a pilot operation will be launched to introduce an overseeding method similar to Japan’s (a method of maintaining turf quality by sowing cool-season grass seeds in winter on warm-season grass).

During the administrative audit of the Tourism and Sports Department by the Culture and Sports Committee of the Seoul Metropolitan Council on the 8th, the ‘grass’ issue was a hot topic regardless of the ruling and opposition parties. Rep. Kim Ki-duk (Democratic Party of Korea) focused his inquiry on “the issue of the turf that Son Heung-min said was worse than Oman.” He pointed out, “In a situation where everyone must work together to host the 2036 Seoul Olympics, there is a contradiction in the stadium. If this is the case, it may be grounds for disqualification from selection.” He then strongly recommended alternatives, presenting examples such as Spain’s Bernabeu Variable Turf, London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and Japan’s Sapporo Stadium, which can turn a soccer field into a performance hall without damaging the grass through a smart farm method that stores grass fields indoors.

Seoul City Councilor Kim Hyeong-jae (People Power Party) released a photo of himself inspecting the lawn of the Seoul World Cup Stadium the day before the inquiry and criticized the Seoul Facilities Corporation, saying, “The lawn management is not just poor, but very messy. It’s not just damaged.” “They say there are 4 blowers and 7 lawn care workers in charge of management, but how has such a large stadium been managed so far with such equipment and manpower? The facility management was too complacent. The rental rules were not followed. The K-League game was held 5 days later. “There were 134 complaints about the lawn from 2021 to last year,” he criticized. In response to the corporation’s response to the effect of “unforeseen abnormal weather effects,” Rep. Kim dismissed the claim, saying, “The ground conditions I saw were not related to abnormal weather.” When the Corporation explained, “Ahead of the Iraq War on October 15, the Corporation submitted a grass restoration plan to the Korea Football Association and it was restored,” they criticized, “When I went there yesterday, the ground was in such a mess that people wondered what kind of restoration this was.” He raised his voice, saying, “After the match against Palestine, the World Cup qualifier match against Iraq was moved to Yongin Mir Stadium. It is a disgrace to the capital Seoul and a disgrace to the Republic of Korea.” He asked, “Please have a thorough sense of responsibility and pay close attention to the overall management of the stadium.”

Kim Young-hwan, director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Tourism and Sports Bureau, said, “We requested that this year’s budget of 1.1 billion won, including labor costs (lawn maintenance personnel), be increased to 3.3 billion won next year as there is a need to systematically manage grass.” He added, “In the short term, we will secure sufficient replacement amounts of grass.” “We will secure dedicated management personnel, purchase equipment, and manage the quality of the grass well to ensure that there is no disruption to the soccer game by coordinating the rental schedule taking into account the growing conditions.” He answered, “In the case of the variable grass ground, we will review in the long term whether overseas examples can be applied domestically and whether it is acceptable.” He continued, “As Jamsil Main Stadium is undergoing remodeling, the demand for cultural performances has been concentrated on Seoul World Cup Stadium. Once completed, there is room for dispersion, and a performance hall is currently being built at Changdong Arena. Once completed, the World Cup Stadium can be used for the purpose of soccer.” “There will be,” he added. He replied, “It was wrong to not manage the grass thoroughly. We will manage it systematically in the future. We will reflect it in next year’s budget, tighten the rental regulations, and create a manual for rentals so that there is no disruption to soccer games.”
Reporter Jeon Young-ji sky4us@sportschosun.com