[Seoul District News] Yangcheon-gu to Hold Opening Ceremony and Festival for Galsan Culture and Arts Center, a Family Theater Venue, on the 11th at 2 PM; Facility Includes Basement 2 to 4th Floor, Exhibition Hall, Cafe, Seminar Room, Art Hall, and 200-Seat Ainuri Hall... Songpa-gu Launches Resident Idea Contest for Seokchon Lake Waterfront Deck Path... Dongjak-gu Begins Construction of Welfare Center Using Public Contributions from Heukseok 7 District, Aiming for Completion in June 2023; Facility to Feature 1,080.78㎡ Total Floor Area, Basement 1 to 3 Floors with Counseling Center, Book Cafe, Program Rooms... Seongbuk-gu,
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) announced that it will hold the opening ceremony of the 'Galsan Culture and Arts Center (106 Mokdongnam-ro)', which will establish itself as a cultural playground for the whole family and a family theater specialized performance venue, at 2 p.m. on the 11th.
The newly opened 'Galsan Culture and Arts Center' was built on a cultural complex facility site (1,556.1㎡) acquired through a donation in the Sinjeong urban development zone. To utilize the site efficiently, feasibility studies and resident briefings were conducted. This facility is the result of ambitious efforts prepared as a pledge of the 7th local government administration, aiming to create a cultural community where local artists and residents can come together.
The Galsan Culture and Arts Center was constructed with a total project cost of 19.635 billion KRW, covering a total floor area of 5,295.88㎡, with two basement floors and four above-ground floors. The construction cost includes 2.491 billion KRW in national and city funds received through the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's Life SOC project selection. The district started construction in March 2020, completed the building construction at the end of last January, and has been preparing for the opening including interior work, a caf?, and cultural center facilities.
Main facilities include an exhibition hall and a resident community space caf? (Masil Dasil The Flower branch) on the first floor. The second floor houses the Yangcheon Cultural Center office, a health room, music room, lecture rooms, and a lounge, making it a vibrant venue for diverse cultural classes.
The third floor's Art Hall and seminar room are designed as open spaces for residents, including dance practice and workshops. The 200-seat Ainuri Hall on the fourth floor is a family theater specialized performance hall, expected to establish itself as a family-centered cultural and artistic space representing Yangcheon-gu, fitting its name 'Children's World.'
The opening ceremony at 2 p.m. on the 11th will strictly follow quarantine rules such as limiting the number of attendees, temperature checks, and mask-wearing, considering social distancing measures. Key guests including Yangcheon-gu Mayor Kim Soo-young, members of the National Assembly, city and district council members, and local residents will attend the official events such as the plaque unveiling and ribbon-cutting. Afterwards, attendees will tour the main facilities and enjoy various opening celebration programs that highlight the characteristics of the cultural and artistic facilities.
In particular, starting from the opening ceremony, the opening celebration festival will continue until April 30. Major programs include 'Wonderful Dinosaur Magic Show' and 'Yangcheon Cultural Center Experience Workshop' for children, which are highly anticipated.
At 3 p.m. on the opening day, the 'Dear Mom Lecture Concert' will be held, featuring author Lee Yoo-nam, principal of Youngmun Elementary School and author of 'Mom's Reflection Letter,' who will give a lecture titled 'Children Depend on Their Moms.' This lecture will invite about 150 audience members free of charge through prior registration.
Additionally, on the 12th and 13th, the nonverbal performance 'Nene-ne' will be staged at the Ainuri Hall on the fourth floor, designed to foster children's creativity. The opening performance 'Nene-ne' is a project commemorating the 60th anniversary of Korea-Sweden diplomatic relations and is considered a model case of international cooperation. Tickets are priced at 20,000 KRW for all seats, with a 50% discount for Yangcheon-gu residents. Advance reservations are available on the Interpark Ticket website.
Furthermore, the opening commemorative art exhibition 'Art, Blossoming' will continue the festive atmosphere in the first-floor exhibition hall until April 30. Under the direction of Lee Hyun-young, head of 'Gallery Lydia,' which has been dedicated to nurturing emerging artists in Yangcheon-gu, the exhibition will captivate residents with rich media art and installation art. It is a permanent exhibition and free for anyone to enter on-site.
For more details about the Galsan Culture and Arts Center, contact the Culture and Sports Division.
Yangcheon-gu Mayor Kim Soo-young said, "The ambitiously launched Galsan Culture and Arts Center is a family-centered cultural and artistic specialized facility representing Yangcheon-gu," adding, "It is a solid foundation for leaping forward as a cultural city and provides various opportunities to enjoy culture in daily life. We invite all residents to visit the Galsan Culture and Arts Center."
Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Sung-soo) is conducting a resident idea contest for the creation of a waterfront deck path at Seokchon Lake (Dongho). Any ideas aimed at making the waterfront deck path more resident-friendly and cultural, including space utilization, design, and surrounding linkage plans, are welcome.
Seokchon Lake is Seoul's only urban lake park and serves as a hub in Songpa-gu, providing residents with healing and diverse cultural experiences. Mayor Park Sung-soo stated, "Through this contest, we hope to gather many creative ideas that highlight the unique characteristics of Seokchon Lake, where nature, culture, and people harmonize."
The contest period is until 6 p.m. on March 18, and anyone nationwide can apply regardless of region or age. Detailed information and application forms can be found on the Songpa-gu Office website under the 'Notices and Announcements' board.
Applicants must complete documents such as the application form and proposal description and submit them via ▲email ▲in-person visit (7th floor, Park and Greenery Division, Songpa-gu Office) ▲registered mail (must arrive by 6 p.m. on the deadline day, March 18).
The winning entries will be selected through a strict evaluation based on ▲creativity (30%) ▲feasibility (30%) ▲relevance to the theme (20%) ▲completeness (20%), and results will be announced individually and on the district office website in April. Four excellent proposals will be awarded: one grand prize, one excellence prize, and two encouragement prizes, with certificates and gift certificates worth a total of 1 million KRW.
Mayor Park Sung-soo said, "Seokchon Lake is Seoul's only natural lake and a landmark visited by millions annually. We will invest efforts from a long-term perspective to make the Dongho waterfront deck path a more beloved tourist spot through residents' ideas and to develop Seokchon Lake into the best urban waterfront city in Korea."
Dongjak-gu (Mayor Lee Chang-woo) has begun construction of the new 'Bondong Comprehensive Social Welfare Center' in Heukseok-dong, scheduled for completion in June 2023, to respond to increasing welfare demands and provide customized welfare services for the elderly.
The existing Bondong Comprehensive Social Welfare Center (79 Noryangjin-ro 32-gil) has caused inconvenience to the elderly due to aging facilities, lack of space, and poor accessibility as it is located at the top of a steep hill.
Accordingly, the district decided to relocate the welfare center to Heukseok-dong (341-3 Heukseok-dong), 290 meters away from the current center, utilizing public contribution facilities in Heukseok 7 District.
The new site in Heukseok-dong is expected to see an increase in population and welfare demand as it transforms into a residential complex through redevelopment projects.
From the design stage, the district held advisory group (TF) meetings composed of experts and residents to build a user-centered welfare center, reviewing space utilization and convenience. The facility will have a total floor area of 1,080.78㎡, with one basement floor and three above-ground floors, including ▲basement 1: dining hall, shared kitchen, shower room ▲1st floor: book caf?, counseling center ▲2nd floor: multipurpose program room ▲3rd floor: auditorium, multipurpose program room.
The welfare center plans to provide various welfare services using shared spaces such as the shared kitchen and book caf?. In particular, to bridge the digital divide among the elderly, it will install a smart IoT experience center with ▲VR ▲kiosks and operate a digital learning center to adapt to changes such as non-face-to-face culture.
Dongjak-gu Mayor Lee Chang-woo said, "With the new construction and relocation of the welfare center, we expect improved accessibility for the elderly and better preparation for increasing welfare demands," adding, "We plan to build a short-term dementia care facility on the existing welfare center site to alleviate the burden on families caring for dementia patients."
Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) announced its plan to proactively build electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure within the district to contribute to the activation of EV adoption and improve residents' convenience.
Since 'lack of charging stations' is the most frequently cited reason for reluctance to purchase EVs in various surveys, Seongbuk-gu is taking action to resolve this issue.
The main infrastructure plans include ▲installing a total of 38 chargers at seven public and affiliated parking lots with 50 or more parking spaces in the district ▲conducting 'customized EV charging infrastructure on-site consulting' for apartment complexes and public facilities ▲deploying 'Seongbuk-gu public EV charging stations' for residents living in charging blind spots such as villas and detached houses.
The district plans to install a total of 38 charging facilities, including 10 rapid chargers and 28 slow chargers, at seven public and affiliated parking lots with 50 or more parking spaces during the first half of this year, with a budget of 462 million KRW.
The target locations include six public parking lots including the Kyungdong High School public parking lot in Seongbuk-gu and one affiliated parking lot, the Cinema parking lot. Except for the Kyungdong High School public parking lot and the Gireum transfer parking lot, which have limited space, one rapid charger will be installed at each of the remaining five locations.
Additionally, the district supports consulting to expand charging facilities smoothly within EV-only parking zones in apartment complexes. Following the full enforcement on January 28 of the revised 'Act on the Development and Promotion of Environmentally Friendly Automobiles' enacted last year, apartment complexes with 50 or more parking spaces (100 or more households) and public facilities are required to install EV-only parking zones (charging facilities).
Accordingly, the district will directly visit management offices of these facilities to provide customized consulting on setting up dedicated charging zones and resolving complaints from residents who own regular vehicles. This consulting will continue until April and will be conducted without separate applications, as the district will select mandatory targets and visit them directly.
Seongbuk-gu also plans to install 'public EV charging stations' for residents of detached houses and villas. Using public and private sites (with site rental fees paid), charging stations will be installed at transportation hubs or main roads. Up to 20 locations will have one open-type rapid EV charger each to actively address the difficulties faced by residents of detached houses and villas. To this end, the district plans to sign agreements with private charging operators this month. Installation costs will be borne by private operators, and the district will provide operational subsidies (site rental fees) to private site providers, actively expanding 'public EV charging stations.'
Seongbuk-gu Mayor Lee Seung-ro said, "By expanding and building EV charging infrastructure, we will eliminate EV charging blind spots in Seongbuk-gu, enabling residents using EVs to use charging stations without difficulty, and further promote the realization of a zero-emission city by promptly advancing this project."
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