Daejeon Area Bookstore Transforms into a 'Complex Cultural Space'

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Daejeon City plans to revitalize the struggling local bookstores by transforming them into complex cultural spaces.

The city announced on the 22nd that starting from the 23rd, it will carry out bookstore revitalization projects such as a local bookstore academy and book concerts under the theme "The Power Leading the Region."

This project, focused on revitalizing local bookstores, aims to support bookstores not just as places to sell books but as multifunctional cultural spaces.

The "Local Bookstore Academy" will be held in two sessions from the 23rd of this month to the 9th of next month at the Daekyo Building in Dunsan-dong, Seo-gu.

The academy consists of programs tailored to bookstore management and content, including social networking service (SNS) promotion and marketing, as well as helping prospective bookstore entrepreneurs understand startup processes.

The "Book Concert" will be held three times at local bookstores. First, on the 1st of next month, author Soman will hold the first book concert at Gyeryong Bookstore under the theme "Turning Everyday Life into a Sketchbook."

Following that, on the 8th of next month, author Gong Ki-taek will be invited to the independent bookstore Samyoso, and on the 17th, author Kang Won-guk will hold a book concert at Gukje Seorim in Daeheung-dong.

As part of promoting local bookstores, the city will also implement the "Local Bookstore Stamp Tour" and "Support for Local Bookstore Small Groups" projects.

The Local Bookstore Stamp Tour allows visitors to collect stamps each time they purchase books at bookstores, and collecting three stamps will entitle them to receive a diary as a souvenir next year.

Additionally, by supporting small-scale events voluntarily held at bookstores, such as reading discussion groups and picture book reading gatherings, the city aims to provide a foundation where citizens can combine socializing and reading activities at bookstores.

Earlier this year, the city had already promoted projects such as the "Local Bookstore Certification System" and "Ontong Daejeon Book Cashback" to revitalize local bookstores.

Son Cheol-woong, Director of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the city, said, "The local bookstore revitalization project is being promoted to enhance the cultural and communal value of offline bookstores so that neighborhood bookstores can be reborn as complex cultural spaces. We will make efforts to help the struggling local bookstores regain vitality through this initiative."