Gangnam-gu Creates 'Mun Jeonghui Poet Street'... Purchases Artifacts for Eunpyeong History Hanok Museum

[Seoul District News] Gangnam-gu Creates Healing Walking Path on 400m Section of Gyeonggi High School Hill Featuring Works Like 'Seosi,' 'Bimangnok,' and 'Gyeoul Sarang' That Swept Domestic and International Literary Awards ... Mapo-gu Renovates 8 Street Vendors in Sinchon and Ewha Areas

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangnam-gu (District Mayor Jung Soon-gyun) established a 400m section of the hill road near Kyunggi High School in Samseong-dong last month as the ‘Moon Jeong-hee Poet Road.’

The district created a walking path by installing eight of the poet’s works, including ‘Seosi,’ ‘Memorandum,’ and ‘Winter Love,’ made from stone, wood, and aluminum plates, and planting flowers and shrubs.

Gangnam-gu completed the installation of the works and planting on the 28th of last month and held a dedication ceremony at the entrance of Kyunggi High School on the 30th. About 50 people, including Mayor Jung Soon-gyun, poet Moon Jeong-hee, and publishing company representatives, attended the event.

Poet Moon Jeong-hee, who debuted in 1969 with the Newcomer Award from ‘Monthly Literature,’ is a renowned representative poet of South Korea, having received awards such as the ‘Contemporary Literature Award,’ the ‘Korea Culture and Arts Award,’ and the ‘Sikada Prize’ awarded by the Swedish Nobel Literature Prize-winning poet Harry Martinson Foundation. She has lived in Gangnam-gu since the mid-1980s and has been active in her creative work there.

Mayor Jung Soon-gyun of Gangnam-gu said, “During the 7th elected term, Gangnam-gu has continuously promoted landscape improvement projects that fill the district with its unique colors by creating walking paths that harmonize with nature and turning streets themselves into cultural spaces. We will continue to do our best to develop Gangnam into a world-class international city beyond being Korea’s top city and to make it a ‘dignified city that is inclusive, considerate, and respectful.’”

Eunpyeong-gu (District Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) announced that it will hold a public notice from the 6th to the 13th for the ‘2022 Eunpyeong History Hanok Museum Artifact Purchase.’

This announcement aims to purchase artifacts to be used for exhibitions and research materials at the Eunpyeong History Hanok Museum.

The artifacts to be purchased include ▲local and daily life historical materials related to Eunpyeong and Bukhansan ▲traditional wooden furniture for the sarangbang (men’s study room) such as a square table, folding screen, and pen case ▲works by modern painters from the 1920s to 1945 (including Byun Gwan-sik, Noh Su-hyun, Lee Yong-woo, Ko Hee-dong, etc.) ▲and other materials with high value for museum exhibitions and education.

Anyone, including private collectors, cultural property dealers, corporations, or organizations, can participate. To participate, applicants must submit an application form by mail or email (mj0721@ep.go.kr) by 6 p.m. on April 13. Application forms can be downloaded from the Eunpyeong-gu website or the Eunpyeong History Hanok Museum website.

Before and after the improvement of street vendors near Mangwon Station, renovated last year.

Last year, the district replaced seven old street vendor booths near Mangwon Station, Gongdeok Station, and Seongsan Shiyoung Apartments with booth-type street vendors, receiving positive feedback from nearby residents who said the roads became more pleasant.

Additionally, by issuing road occupancy permits, the street vendors have been managed cleanly and safely under the supervision of Mapo-gu Office, presenting a coexistence model between pedestrians who value a pleasant walking environment and small business owners whose livelihoods depend on it.

This year’s ‘Street Vendor Permit Project’ plans to replace eight street vendor booths in the Sinchon and Ewha areas with unique booth-type street vendors featuring Mapo-gu logos and characteristics, reflecting improvements from last year’s project.

To this end, on March 28, the district held an on-site briefing session with street vendor operators who participated last year and prospective operators for this year’s project to gather opinions.

Going forward, the district plans to renovate street vendors by collecting opinions from residents and operators rather than unilaterally proceeding with the project according to the district’s plan.

A district official said, “Through Mapo-gu’s ‘Street Vendor Permit Project,’ the walking paths in Mapo-gu are gradually being improved into environments where people want to walk. We will do our best to make it a coexistence model that satisfies both residents and operators.”