The Korean Sports Agency has proposed a record budget of 448.4 billion won for 2027, aimed at enhancing fairness in sports, promoting youth and community sports, and improving the performance of national athletes.
This budget aligns with the Lee Jae-myung administration's national agenda to boost community sports participation and increase investment in professional sports. The agency noted that the budget increase followed a visit by Park Hong-keun, the Minister of the Planning and Budget Office, to the Jincheon National Training Center in May, where he gathered feedback from national athletes and coaches, leading to substantial support in the professional sports sector.
Specifically, 21.6 billion won has been allocated to enhance fairness and restore trust in the sports community. An additional 1.1 billion won has been earmarked for improvements to the election system of sports organizations and the establishment of a swift disciplinary system. To increase the reliability of officiating, the number of permanent referees will rise from 137 to 586, and 5 billion won will be invested in new AI-assisted officiating equipment, totaling 26.1 billion won for improving officiating fairness, a 20.5 billion won increase from the previous year.
Investment in youth and community sports will also see a boost of 56.9 billion won. The 'Youth Sports Infrastructure Development' project will receive 37 billion won, an increase of 33.2 billion won from last year, while the Sports Division League project will be allocated 47 billion won, up by 19.8 billion won. Additionally, a new initiative for 'Child-Friendly Sports Classes' targeting preschoolers in declining population areas will receive 2 billion won to expand early sports participation opportunities.
The budget for national team training support will increase by 31.8 billion won. This includes funding for overseas training camps (5.6 billion won), the establishment of an AI performance analysis system (1.5 billion won), and preparations for pre-training camps for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics (900 million won). Notably, a 10 billion won air mat training facility will be developed for winter sports athletes, including snowboarder Choi Ga-on, to enable year-round aerial training.
Furthermore, support for promising athletes will see an increase of 6.8 billion won, allowing national team candidates to extend their domestic training days from 28 to 40 days per year. The number of sports included in the preliminary national team development program will expand from five to eight. Other budget allocations include participation in international multi-sport events like the 2027 Chungcheong Universiade and preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics (9.3 billion won), adjustments for national sports competition expenses (3.7 billion won), and improvements in the treatment of sports personnel (3 billion won).
Yoo Seung-min, the president of the Korean Sports Agency, stated, "This budget proposal will serve as a crucial turning point for Korean sports. We will accelerate reforms in the sports sector by incorporating the voices of the public and the field to regain trust from the people."
He added, "It is particularly meaningful that the demands from the field have led to substantial budget increases, following Minister Park Hong-keun's visit to the Jincheon Training Center to listen to athletes and coaches. I thank the Planning and Budget Office and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for their special attention and support for the sports field, and I urge the National Assembly to actively engage and cooperate so that the people can enjoy a healthy and happy life through sports, and Korean sports can make another leap forward."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.