The South Korea national football team has entered a new era in Cheonan. On November 10, 2023, the Korean men's national football team held its first training session at the newly built Korea National Football Center in Ipjang-myeon, Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. Manager Hong Myung-bo assembled 11 players, including Son Heung-min of LAFC, to prepare for upcoming friendlies against Bolivia in Daejeon on November 14 and Ghana in Seoul on the 18th. This marks the first time the national team has trained in Cheonan. Hong stated, "I think the players will be able to rest more comfortably and train with greater focus." The establishment of the new center is seen as the first step toward self-reliance in Korean football. Building on more than 20 years of experience in Paju, this move represents the beginning of an era where we create our own future, not in someone else’s space, but in our own. The Korea Football Association (KFA) concluded that rather than living in someone else’s house and worrying about rent hikes, it’s better to shoulder the cost and build our own home. Construction on the new football center began in April 2022, and temporary occupancy approval was granted by the Cheonan City Government in September this year. The new complex covers 478,000 square meters, roughly four times larger than the facility in Paju. The number of pitches has increased from 7 to 11, and the national team’s lodging capacity expanded from 72 to 82 rooms. The facility also includes eight conference rooms for meetings, analysis, and coaching education, a main stadium with natural grass and seating for 3,000 spectators, an indoor training field, a gym, medical and rehabilitation facilities, and equipment buildings. Hong added, "We have about seven months until the World Cup, and we’ll continue refining our tactics until then."