[New Documentary] KBS’s ‘The Miracle of 180 Minutes: Kickoff’ — The Magic of a Small City of 60,000… Can It Stop Regional Decline?

Sports-generated visitors who stay and spend: a new answer for the local economy

KBS Gwangju unveiled on the 26th an experimental documentary, “The Miracle of 180 Minutes: Kickoff” (directed by Jo Na-young), exploring new ways to revitalize local communities through the “sports industry” amid the growing crisis of regional decline.

The production team conducted an in-depth investigation in Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, a small city of 60,000, closely analyzing the economic and social impact of the “sports industry” on local communities. Once home to just 40,000 people, Kashima has been energized by about 20,000 visitors from outside the city on each home-game day since Japanese professional soccer club “Kashima Antlers” made it its home base. The documentary captures this phenomenon, showing how sports go beyond leisure to become a key driver of the local economy.

In South Korea, the documentary focuses on Gangjin County in South Jeolla Province, which has a population of 30,000. Since founding the women’s soccer team “Gangjin Swans” in March this year, the county has pursued an aggressive sports marketing strategy, including hosting an international youth soccer winter league and attracting overseas teams for training camps. The production team tracked the economic impact generated by the “Gangjin Swans” and changes in residents’ daily lives, examining the potential for a successful Korean model.

In particular, KBS Gwangju used a consumer-spending measurement app it developed in-house to conduct data journalism, quantitatively measuring the length of stays and spending habits of soccer spectators in Kashima, Gangjin County and Sejong City, among other domestic and overseas locations. The documentary linked the average 180-minute (three-hour) stay of the “living population” with the “sports industry” to identify the concrete mechanisms through which sports drive local economies.

Adding authority and credibility, former national team players and Korean soccer legends “Lee Young-pyo” and “Park Joo-ho” appear in person to share perspectives from the field. Bae Seong-jae, one of South Korea’s leading sports commentators, narrates the program, heightening viewer engagement.

The documentary, which offers an alternative to regional decline, premieres at 7:40 p.m. on the 30th in Jeonnam and Gwangju, before airing nationwide on KBS 1TV on the 1st of next month.