Is There a '120-Year-Old' Library in Busan? ... Busan Citizen Library Holds Opening Commemorative Seminar

Busan Metropolitan City Library.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Trainee Reporter Hwang Du-yeol] Do you know how old the Busan Citizen Library is?

The Busan Citizen Library is holding a 120th anniversary seminar. The Busan Municipal Citizen Library will hold an opening commemorative seminar on December 8th in the Citizen Sound Forest within the library to review the history of modern public libraries and prepare for the future.

The Citizen Library celebrated its 120th birthday on October 10th. The library started in 1901 as the reading room of the Hongdohoe Busan branch reading club, and in 1919 it was transferred to Busan-bu (釜山附) and newly established as the Busan Prefectural Library, a public library.

In 1949, it was renamed the Busan Municipal Library. It was newly built and relocated to Bujeon-dong in 1963, and in 1982 it settled in its current location in Choeup.

The seminar will feature a special lecture by Seo Hye-ran, director of the National Library of Korea, a 120th anniversary commemorative video screening retracing the library’s footsteps through photos and old documents, and a vocal music performance.

Those wishing to participate can apply on the Citizen Library website starting December 1st.

Kim Heung-baek, director of the Busan Citizen Library, said, “Through the seminar, we will reminisce about the history of the library and become a library that prepares for the future with citizens.”