[Seoul District News] Nowon-gu Presents Daily 20-Minute Captivating Music Fountain Video Show Until October 31... Dongjak-gu Operates Park Programs Including New Home Making, Gourd Decorating, and Balsam Dyeing... Songpa Book Museum Celebrates 3rd Anniversary with 'Hello, My Friends' Exhibition... Gangdong-gu Opens Second Art Exhibition of the Year at Open Art Museum 'Sometimes Museum; A Moment to Stay' in Government Building... Jongno-gu Holds 9th Youth Yun Dong-ju Poetry Contest... Eunpyeong-gu Advances 'Urban Agriculture Community' This Year
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Nowon-gu announced that it will fully operate the 'Danghyeoncheon Music Fountain' as the hot weather approaches.
The music fountain is located in front of Nowon Math Culture Center (19-gil 28, Hangeulbiseok-ro), between Bulamgyo and Saessakgyo bridges on Danghyeoncheon. It measures 20.5m in width and 5.5m in length, equipped with a total of 303 nozzles that allow the water jets to move freely. The water jets soar up to a maximum height of 25m, eliciting awe from viewers.
The music fountain had received much interest and love from residents, but last year’s summer operation was canceled due to strengthened COVID-19 social distancing measures, leaving many residents disappointed. This year, the district plans to present even more diverse performances.
Marking the Year of the Tiger, the video produced to accompany 21 different songs will be displayed on the water screen, featuring selections from ‘Beom Naeryeonda’ (The Tiger Comes Down), trot song ‘Niga Wae Geogiseo Nawa’ (Why Are You There?), BTS’s ‘Butter’, and the children’s song ‘Sang-eo Gajok’ (Baby Shark). To keep the experience fresh throughout the week, the program offers different sets of 7 songs each day.
The water jets moving in sync with the music, dazzling lighting effects, dance, and healing messages in the video will combine to provide fun and emotional experiences for visitors.
The Danghyeoncheon Music Fountain operates once daily for 20 minutes at sunset until October 31. From May to August, it runs at 8:30 PM; in September at 8 PM; and in October at 7 PM. However, operating times may change depending on sunset times.
The Danghyeoncheon Ground Fountain will also begin operation. Located in front of Seongseo University, the ground fountain will operate from June 1 to September 30 every day except Mondays.
Operating hours are five sessions daily during the day from 12 PM to 4 PM, each lasting 30 minutes on the hour, and one 30-minute session at 8 PM at night.
During the day, residents cooling off can enjoy beautiful flowers and specialized flower beds such as flower waterfalls while resting. In the evening, the music fountain with its splendid lighting and refreshing water jets will offer healing to residents.
The district recommends visiting ‘Danghyeon Bitgil’ (Danghyeon Light Path), which is just a 10-minute walk from the music fountain. Seven unique artworks using LED lights and fluorescent paint are exhibited in the underground covered section of Danghyeoncheon near Sanggye Station. The lighting is on until 10 PM.
A district official said, “The Danghyeoncheon Music Fountain, which was canceled last year due to COVID-19, will be fully operational this summer. We hope residents will blow away the heat and stress while watching the water jets soar up to 25 meters and enjoy the dazzling video and light show synchronized with the music for healing.”
Dongjak-gu (Mayor Lee Chang-woo) will operate a ‘Park Usage Program’ starting this month to provide various experiences for park visitors.
The ‘Park Usage Program’ was created to alleviate residents’ COVID-19 blues and offer leisure activities by running diverse programs that utilize the natural, historical, and seasonal characteristics of parks.
Main programs include ▲Birdhouse Making ▲Gourd Decoration ▲Balsam Flower Dyeing, providing opportunities to see, feel, and directly experience the atmosphere of Noryangjin Neighborhood Park (Daebang Park).
Park exploration programs will also be held at Noryangjin Neighborhood Park (Daebang Park), Sayuksin Park, and Hyeonchung Neighborhood Park (Hyeonchungwon), where participants can learn about history, cultural assets, and tree explanations.
The programs will be held 10 times from May to September. Each session runs for up to 2 hours starting at 10:30 AM, with a maximum of 20 participants per day, targeting small groups such as toddlers, elementary students, and families.
Residents wishing to participate can register online through the Seoul Metropolitan Public Service Reservation System, and for phone inquiries or further details, contact the Park and Greenery Division.
All programs will strictly follow quarantine rules and safety policies. The schedule may change depending on COVID-19 conditions and weather.
Kim Won-sik, head of the Park and Greenery Division, said, “We will strive to make parks throughout Dongjak-gu beloved spaces by offering various programs that allow residents to fully enjoy spring.”
Additionally, the district is making efforts to create resting spaces and vibrant landscapes in places frequented by residents, such as maintaining and creating green belts along Nambusunhwan-ro and Dongjak-daero in Sadang-dong, renovating the children’s playground in Sangdo 3-dong village park, and maintaining hiking trails in Sangdo Neighborhood Park.
Songpa-gu will hold the exhibition ‘Hello, My Friends!’ themed on children from April 23 to August 31 to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of the Songpa Book Museum’s opening.
This exhibition is held in collaboration with the monthly magazine ‘Chaeg (Book)’ to jointly commemorate ‘World Book Day’ and ‘Children’s Day’.
‘Hello, My Friends!’ showcases images and books from picture books by internationally renowned authors such as David Wiesner, Peyo, and Herg?, using children’s content published by Chaeg. The exhibition is divided into six parts to introduce various humanities topics in an easy and fun way.
Part 1 ‘Time’ invites visitors into the fantasy world imagined by David Wiesner through his watercolor work ‘The Time Box,’ which vividly depicts a fantasy world.
Part 2 ‘Imagination’ allows visitors to see the earliest materials before the Smurfs became known through animation. It reexamines the Smurfs through parts of the graphic novel series ‘Johan and Peewit’ by cartoonist Peyo.
Part 3 ‘Adventure’ covers the comic book ‘TINTIN’ by Belgian author Herg?, introducing the adventures of the boy reporter Tintin and his dog Snowy as they travel worldwide, sharing historical knowledge and friendship.
Part 4 ‘Friendship’ presents various aspects of the famous novel character ‘Anne of Green Gables.’ Visitors can see Anne’s emotional words in handwritten form in ‘Anne’s Words’ and view various plants from the green-roofed house setting in ‘Anne’s Garden.’
Part 5 ‘Memory’ introduces 22 female characters from literary works through ‘Hello, My Shining Friends.’
Part 6 is a photo corner ‘Special Photo,’ featuring photo books and photographs on the theme of ‘children’ by photographers Alain Laboual, Catherine Longdo, and Sebastian Sch?tze.
In addition, the exhibition is participatory, with the featured books available for visitors to read.
The exhibition is free and open to the public in the museum’s first-floor lobby from Tuesday to Sunday, 10 AM to 6 PM.
Also, to mark the museum’s 3rd anniversary and World Book Day, the district has restructured the outdoor green landscaping of the museum to highlight the unique features of the country’s first public book museum. Under the theme ‘The Origin of Books and Book Culture,’ trees used as raw materials for paper were planted to create the ‘Paper Tree Garden.’
On Children’s Day, May 5, a ‘Pinwheel Kit’ will be distributed to child visitors so families can enjoy time together in the garden.
A Songpa-gu official said, “We thank the residents and visitors who have cherished and loved the Songpa Book Museum over the past three years. We hope families spend a happy Family Month enjoying culture and arts through the works and picture books of world-renowned authors.”
Gangdong-gu announced that the open art gallery ‘Sometimes a Museum; Stay a While,’ which operates the district office building as an exhibition space for artworks, has started its second exhibition of the year.
Opened in March 2020 and now in its third year, the ‘Open Art Gallery’ allows residents and busy employees to enjoy culture and arts without visiting a museum.
Under the theme ‘Hope (희망 希望),’ the main building of Gangdong-gu Office displays about 60 works by artists Kim Jeong-ah, Baek Jae-woong, Bae Jeong-eun, Oh Gwan-jin, Lee Jeong-in, Jeon Jin-gyu, Jo Chung-rae, Jin Hoon, Han Joo-eun, and Heo Young-ran, who are actively working in the contemporary Korean art scene. Each floor is sub-themed as ▲‘Living Daily Life’ (2nd floor) ▲‘Communicating Relationships’ (3rd floor) ▲‘Dancing Self’ (4th floor) ▲‘Advancing Hope’ (5th floor). The second exhibition runs until the end of August.
A district official said, “Following the first exhibition, artworks that make us think of residents overcoming COVID-19 and moving toward their own hopes are on display. We hope the Open Art Gallery becomes a space where visitors and employees can pause and feel the warmth of hope.”
Jongno-gu is holding the 9th National Youth Yun Dong-ju Poetry and Calligraphy Contest to honor the eternal young poet Yun Dong-ju and reflect on his life, literary works, and spirit of love for the nation.
To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Yun Dong-ju Literature Museum’s opening, this year’s contest is special and open to all middle and high school students nationwide (including those with equivalent qualifications).
Applicants can download the application form from the Jongno Cultural Foundation website, complete it, and submit it in person or by mail to the Yun Dong-ju Literature Museum (119 Changuimun-ro) by May 17, along with a calligraphy work on a 4-stanza poem (394mm × 545mm) themed on Yun Dong-ju’s poetry.
Submitted works will be comprehensively judged by a panel of experts based on subject, technique, composition, individuality, and creativity, with results announced on May 25. Awards will be given to 30 winners in middle and high school divisions, including Grand Prize, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Encouragement Awards. The award ceremony is scheduled for July.
The Grand Prize winner will receive 500,000 KRW, Gold Prize 300,000 KRW, Silver and Bronze Prizes 200,000 KRW and 100,000 KRW respectively. Opportunities for exhibition and publication in a collection will also be provided.
For more details about the contest, visit the Jongno Cultural Foundation website or contact the Cultural Projects Team or Yun Dong-ju Literature Museum.
Jongno-gu transformed an unused pumping station and water tank into the Yun Dong-ju Literature Museum in July 2012. The museum is located in Cheongun-dong near Inwangsan Mountain, where the poet enjoyed walks during his time at Yeonhui College, making it a meaningful place imbued with his presence. Nearby are ‘Poet’s Hill’ and ‘Cheongun Literature Library,’ making the area a famous tourist spot representing Jongno.
Eunpyeong-gu is recruiting new ‘Urban Agriculture Communities’ this year to support smooth urban agriculture activities.
An ‘Urban Agriculture Community’ is a group voluntarily formed by urban farmers under the ‘Urban Agriculture Act’ to engage in urban agriculture together.
Registration criteria require the community to consist of at least one representative residing in Eunpyeong-gu and five or more households residing in Seoul. The main office must be located in Eunpyeong-gu, and the scale of vegetable gardens, insect breeding, and beekeeping must meet standards.
Detailed criteria include a vegetable garden area of at least 100m², insect breeding of 500 to 15,000 insects, and at least 5 beehives for beekeeping. An operation and management plan for the vegetable garden, insect breeding, and beekeeping must be submitted.
The recruitment period is from May 2 to October 31. Applicants can download the registration form by searching ‘Urban Agriculture Community’ on the district website’s announcements, fill it out, and submit it along with other documents proving eligibility.
The district also runs the ‘Urban Agriculture Community Support Project’ to promote these communities by providing expenses for purchasing farming materials, books, and publicity. Subsidies will be provided to registered communities around April next year.
For further inquiries, check the ‘Announcements/Notices’ section on the district website or contact the Urban Agriculture Team in the Parks and Greenery Division.
A district official said, “We ask for active participation from residents so that through lively community activities such as farming education, everyone can enjoy a more vibrant and joyful life.”
Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Roh Hyun-song) announced it is recruiting ‘Sosiknamumi Reporters’ who will gather and share news about local volunteer activities until May 23.
The purpose is to increase interest and participation in volunteering by delivering various news and content related to volunteer work to residents.
Sosiknamumi Reporters will visit volunteer demand sites and activity locations to report and share various news, events, issues, and good stories related to volunteering with residents.
They will also act as online marketers by sharing news through various SNS channels such as the Gangseo-gu Volunteer Center’s Instagram and blog. This year, the reporter team will mainly consist of people in their 20s and 30s (MZ generation) to deliver volunteer news in more fresh and creative ways.
Applicants must have volunteer experience within the last three years, be able to participate in at least two meetings per month for reporting and idea discussions, and be proficient in document editing and SNS for article writing and content creation.
Applications are accepted until May 23. Applicants can download the Sosiknamumi Reporter activity application form from the Gangseo-gu Volunteer Center website, fill it out, and submit it via email, in person, or by mail.
The district will select 10 final candidates by May 26, considering age (priority to 20s-30s), volunteer experience, and digital device skills.
Selected reporters will complete a five-session training course starting June 3, held every Friday, before beginning full reporting and content creation activities.
Reporters will receive volunteer accident insurance, recognition of volunteer hours, and invitations to various cultural events hosted by the Volunteer Center.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
