[Seoul District News] National Treasure No. 70 Hunminjeongeum and Kansong Art & Culture Foundation artifacts including Shin Yunbok and Kim Hongdo paintings stored in a 982.25m2 underground 2-floor, aboveground 2-floor building... Jongno-gu holds forum for UNESCO registration of ‘Hanji’... Jungnang-gu to livestream special concert by artist ‘Choice’ for new album release on the 26th at 6 PM... Seodaemun-gu hosts mini concert 'Again, Spring' at Sinchon Yonsei-ro... Gangbuk-gu signs child-friendly city agreement with Seongbuk-Gangbuk Office of Education
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro), the city of the "3 Hans" (Hangul, Hanyangdoseong, Han Yong-un), will hold a completion ceremony for the Hunminjeongeum (Nationally Designated Cultural Heritage, National Treasure No. 70) storage facility at the Kansong Art Museum located in Seongbuk-dong on the 25th.
Local residents, Seongbuk-gu officials, and members of the National Assembly will attend the event. Attendance will be limited to fewer than 99 people to comply with quarantine guidelines.
The Hunminjeongeum storage facility at the Kansong Art Museum will house valuable artifacts of the Kansong Art and Cultural Foundation, including the Hunminjeongeum, Shin Yun-bok’s painting albums, and Kim Hong-do’s painting albums.
Seongbuk-gu conducted design services in 2019 for the construction of the storage facility. Based on this, construction was carried out from 2020 to 2022, completing a storage facility with two basement floors and two above-ground floors, covering a total floor area of 982.25m2.
The Kansong Art Museum is the first private museum established in Korea by Mr. Kansong Jeon Hyeong-pil (1906?1962) to preserve numerous cultural assets of high cultural value that were distorted and destroyed under Japanese colonial rule, aiming to revive the spirit and cultural pride of the Korean people.
Even in Seongbuk-dong, known as the "roofless museum" due to the scattered cultural and artistic heritage representing modern and contemporary Korea, the Kansong Art Museum stands as a representative cultural space. It is widely known that the Hunminjeongeum Haerye edition, National Treasure No. 70 and a pinnacle of Korean culture, is housed at the Kansong Art Museum. Seongbuk-gu plans to use the completion of the Kansong Art Museum storage facility as an opportunity to promote the value and charm of the "roofless museum Seongbuk-dong" to more citizens.
Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, said, "Seongbuk-dong is a special city where the three Hans?Hangul, Hanyangdoseong, and Han Yong-un, a poet and independence activist representing Korea?are located and active." He added, "With the completion of the Kansong Art Museum Hunminjeongeum storage facility, we will redouble efforts to promote the cultural heritage preserved by the late Mr. Kansong Jeon Hyeong-pil and the cultural assets that remain with us today."
Jongno-gu will hold the 4th academic forum for the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage registration of traditional Hanji paper at 2 p.m. on the 24th at the Seoul Museum of History (55 Saemunan-ro).
Hosted by the district and organized by the Hanji Revival Foundation and the Traditional Hanji UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Registration Promotion Team, this forum aims to discuss the uniqueness and future sustainability of traditional Hanji.
The forum will deeply examine the possibility and necessity of restoring the site of the Joji-seo (Paper Making Office), which played a central role in the production and management of traditional Hanji, and set the direction for research and policies for the development of traditional culture and Hanji in Jongno-gu.
The event will begin at 2 p.m. with ▲opening ceremony ▲opening remarks, welcome speech, and congratulatory video ▲appointment of Hanji Revival Foundation ambassadors ▲keynote presentations ▲expert panel discussion and Q&A ▲and expert summary.
Keynote presentations will be led by Professor Kim Hak-su of the Academy of Korean Studies, Director Gil Ki-ho-cheol of the Cultural Heritage Research Institute, Professor Lee Jae-jun of Jangseogak at the Academy of Korean Studies, Professor Kim Byung-gi of Jeonbuk National University, and Professor Kim Hyung-jin of Kookmin University.
The expert panel discussion will include Chair Professor Ham Han-hee of Jeonbuk National University, Dr. Cheon Ju-hyun of the Chuncheon National Museum, Professor Jeong Myung-jun of Jeonbuk National University, Curator An Ji-yoon of the National Palace Museum, and Dr. Nam Yu-mi of the Leeum Museum of Art’s Conservation Science Department. The summary will be given by Chair Professor Im Don-hee of Dongguk University.
Additionally, the Hanji Revival Foundation plans to sign a business agreement with the Hanji Craft Design Cultural Center and appoint Hanji artist Jeon Gwang-young as an ambassador on the same day.
The Segeomjeong area in Jongno-gu was once home to the government office "Joji-seo," responsible for papermaking during the Joseon Dynasty.
Established in 1415 (the 15th year of King Taejong) as "Jojiso," it was renamed "Joji-seo" in 1466 (the 12th year of King Sejo). It manufactured and managed various papers used for official documents for hundreds of years until it was abolished in 1882 (the 19th year of King Gojong) due to the development of private papermaking industries.
An official from the district emphasized, "We must register our traditional Hanji as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage by gathering the wishes of many Hanji artisans and enthusiasts and have its value and excellence recognized worldwide." He added, "Today’s forum is a meaningful occasion to raise social interest and consensus on traditional Hanji."
Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi) will hold a healing concert on the 26th to help residents overcome COVID-19 blues.
This concert, prepared to comfort residents exhausted by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and to provide a special time with family during the vibrant spring days, will feature solo singer "Choice," a Jungnang artist and a top 6 finalist from SBS K-pop Star Season 3.
The performance will take place at the Jungnang Media Center’s multipurpose studio and will be a special event commemorating the release of Choice’s new album.
The concert will be broadcast live online for about an hour starting at 6 p.m. on the 26th. Any resident wishing to watch the performance can do so in real time via the Jungnang-gu Office YouTube channel without any prior application.
Ryu Kyung-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, said, "I hope Jungnang residents enjoy the healing concert from their homes, shake off their gloom, and welcome a lively spring." He added, "We will continue to strive to attract various cultural and artistic performances."
Jungnang artists are cultural and artistic performers active throughout Jungnang-gu.
Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) will hold a mini cultural concert titled "Again, Spring" from the 25th to the 27th at Sinchon Yonsei-ro and Changcheon Cultural Park.
Wishing for spring to return to the daily lives of citizens tired from COVID-19, the event features performances in various genres including traditional Korean music, classical music, and performances.
On the first day, the 25th, at 6 p.m., a traditional Korean music performance by the "Ye-gyeol Band" will be held at Yonsei-ro Star Square. Centered on traditional folk singer Jo Ye-gyeol, the fusion gugak band actively performs, including appearances on Voice Korea 2020 (Mnet).
From 7 p.m., the pansori band "Haengnanggaek" will perform. This team, based on Korean traditional music, crosses genre boundaries to offer audiences a unique enjoyment.
On the 26th, classical music performances will be held at Changcheon Cultural Park. "Who’s Art" will perform at 3 p.m., followed by "Ensemble Eumgam" at 4 p.m. They will deliver bright and lively classical music fitting for spring, touching the hearts of citizen audiences.
On the last day, the 27th, two lively performance teams will entertain people of all ages at Yonsei-ro Star Square. From 3 p.m., the performance team "Hwaryeo" will present a dance percussion show, and from 4 p.m., "MC Seonho," who performed at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics opening and closing ceremonies, will present a bubble show.
Audiences can enjoy the performances by arriving at the venue at the scheduled times without reservations. The district plans to conduct the event under current COVID-19 quarantine rules, limiting attendance to 299 people regardless of vaccination status. On-site staff will be deployed to ensure mask-wearing and social distancing.
Moon Seok-jin, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, said, "I hope the day comes soon when many artists can freely meet with citizen audiences at Sinchon Yonsei-ro, a cultural and festival plaza, as before COVID-19."
Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Park Gyeom-su) signed a business agreement with the Seongbuk-Gangbuk Office of Education on the 22nd to create a child-friendly city.
Due to COVID-19 prevention measures, the agreement was exchanged non-face-to-face between Mayor Park Gyeom-su of Gangbuk-gu and Superintendent Choi Gyu-ae of the Seongbuk-Gangbuk Office of Education.
Through this agreement, the two organizations announced their commitment to guarantee the four fundamental rights of children: survival, protection, development, and participation.
First, the district will actively promote policies for children by implementing the 10 principles of UNICEF’s child-friendly city creation.
In September 2018, the district was certified as a child-friendly city by UNICEF after establishing 10 elements including a child-friendly legal system, measures for child safety, and child impact assessments.
This year, the district is pursuing "higher-level certification as a child-friendly city" by implementing 32 child-friendly policy projects initiated since 2019.
The district expects this agreement to help with the higher-level certification of Gangbuk-gu as a child-friendly city and to assist in presenting a concrete vision and promoting projects for a child-friendly city.
The Seongbuk-Gangbuk Office of Education will cooperate with the district on child rights education and promotion, formation and operation of child participation organizations, and child rights and status surveys.
Park Gyeom-su, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, said, "Through the agreement with the Seongbuk-Gangbuk Office of Education, we can promote policies for children more broadly." He added, "This year, we will strive to become a child-friendly city where children are happy and live well by pursuing higher-level certification."
Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) will operate the unique park mission mystery travel program "Hwajungjinam (畵中之男)" on an ongoing basis starting March 24.
"Hwajungjinam" is an active experience program where participants walk the Sinjeongsan Dulle-gil course and complete missions throughout the park using smartphones and an exploration kit. The district combined the works of the master of genre paintings, Shin Yun-bok, with IT technology to plan an outdoor escape game with a story set on the Sinjeongsan Dulle-gil trail.
To participate, first purchase an exploration kit (2,000 KRW) from a vending machine at the starting point, Sinjeong 3-dong Community Service Center. Then, scan the QR code on the mission sheet in the kit with a smartphone to launch the game screen. Enter the code password included to start the tracking program.
Participants will complete tasks related to the "mysterious man trapped in the painting" based on clues in the exploration kit and mission sheet, as well as hints from sculptures placed along the trail.
The Sinjeongsan Dulle-gil, the stage for the mission exploration, is a circular course in Gyenam Park (2.7 km) starting from Nammyung Elementary School, passing through Darakgol, Jangsu Elementary School, Jeongrang Hill, and the Children's Forest Experience Center, and returning to Nammyung Elementary School. It takes about 40?50 minutes on foot for adults, but the mission is expected to take about 120 minutes considering problem-solving time.
The district expects residents to enjoy healing in daily life while walking the trail through this program. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the charm of genre paintings such as Jeongbyeon Yahwa, Wolhajeongin, and Jusa Geobae from Shin Yun-bok’s genre painting album (National Treasure No. 135).
For more details about the mission mystery travel "Hwajungjinam," contact the Parks and Greenery Division.
Kim Soo-young, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, said, "I hope the mission program 'Hwajungjinam,' which incorporates Oriental painting, will become a representative unique park project of Yangcheon-gu." He added, "I hope it will be an opportunity to heal the hearts of residents tired from COVID-19, and we will strive to realize the district’s vision of Resilience City Yangcheon through parks."
Gangnam-gu (Mayor Jung Soon-gyun) conducted a "Spring Cleaning" on the 23rd around Teheran-ro and the Samsung-dong Food Culture Street.
Gangnam-gu deployed about 100 sanitation workers and about 30 personnel including the Recycling Promotion Council and district office staff, mobilizing 24 cleaning vehicles including 14 water cleaning trucks, 2 dust suction trucks, 5 road cleaning trucks, and 3 surface cleaning trucks.
The district carried out road water cleaning and dust suction truck operations to remove fine dust, gum residue removal using high-pressure steam cleaners, cleaning of bus stops, guardrails, street trash bins, and removal and cleaning of cigarette butts from rainwater inlet grates.
Additionally, Gangnam-gu will continue to conduct daily living quarantine measures until November this year to prevent COVID-19 spread at 22 resident-use facilities across the district. Disinfection and water cleaning will be performed daily at 1,390 facilities frequently used by residents such as bus stops, parks, and subway entrances, ensuring residents can use facilities safely through proactive living quarantine.
Jung Soon-gyun, Mayor of Gangnam-gu, said, "During the 7th local government term, Gangnam-gu ranked first in 2019 and 2020 and second in 2021 in the urban cleanliness evaluation among Seoul’s 25 districts, making it the cleanest city in Seoul." He added, "We will continue to pursue 'must-environment policies' aiming to become a prestigious city like Manhattan in New York and the 16th arrondissement in Paris."
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