Dobong-gu Mayor Dongjin Lee Presents 'Cultural City Innovation' at Future Autonomy and Decentralization Research Institute Monthly Forum

Presentation on Cases of Unearthing Cultural Resources Related to Historical Figures and the Changdong New Economic Hub Development Project for 'Urban Regeneration through Culture'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] On the 21st, Lee Dong-jin, Mayor of Dobong-gu, attended the 5th Monthly Forum hosted by the Future Autonomy and Decentralization Research Institute of the Association of Autonomous Decentralized Local Governments and gave a presentation titled “The Era of Innovative Leaders, Reflecting on the 5th to 7th Terms of Elected Mayors! Dobong-gu’s Cultural City Innovation.”

The forum, broadcast live on the YouTube channel of the Future Autonomy and Decentralization Research Institute, was planned as a relay inviting “innovative leaders” who are actively opening the era of local governments by promoting administrative innovation, active resident participation, and realization of autonomy and decentralization during the 5th to 7th terms of elected mayors. Mayor Lee Dong-jin of Dobong-gu opened the forum.

Led by Yoo Chang-bok, Director of the Future Autonomy and Decentralization Research Institute, and experts including Ahn Seok-hee, Director of the Northeast 4 Districts Urban Regeneration Cooperation Support Center, the forum focused on discussing the achievements and future prospects of Dobong-gu’s cultural city innovation policies.

Mayor Lee Dong-jin presented on the cultural policies that have been firmly pursued over the past decade to restore the region’s historical and cultural identity and revitalize the local economy centered on culture.

First, as cases of rediscovering historical figures in the region and discovering cultural resources through a change of perspective, he cited ▲ Kim Soo-young Literature Museum ▲ Kansong Old House ▲ Dooly Museum ▲ White Rubber Shoes Village Theater.

Also, as representative cases of adding culture to local spaces, he mentioned ▲ Banghakcheon Culture and Arts Street, which was reborn as a cultural and arts street through a public-private cooperative urban regeneration project from a street lined with harmful businesses ▲ Peace Culture Base, which transformed symbols of war and division into spaces of creation and peace ▲ Ssangridangil, where young people take the lead in forming a new atmosphere in the alley commercial district.

Second, regarding the Changdong New Economic Center project, which is being promoted to change the local image through “urban regeneration through culture,” preparations have been completed for various cultural and artistic facilities, led by the Seoul Arena performance hall with a capacity of 19,300 seats. He stated that through ▲ Open Changdong Studio ▲ Seed Cube Changdong ▲ Changdong Aurene ▲ the construction of a complex cultural distribution center, Dobong-gu aims to become a global music city that goes beyond consuming music to producing and distributing it.

Experts related to cultural and artistic urban regeneration who attended the forum highly evaluated the achievements of Dobong-gu’s cultural policies, which have been promoted focusing on restoring Dobong-gu’s identity and fostering residents’ pride, and emphasized that Dobong-gu’s cultural policies should be reexamined in the post-COVID-19 era.

Mayor Lee Dong-jin of Dobong-gu said, “The driving force behind pursuing cultural city policies for over 10 years was the hope that residents living in Dobong-gu would take pride in their district,” and added, “I expect Dobong-gu’s status to be strengthened as a music city and a center of performance culture.”