[Seoul District News] Gwanak-gu, No.1 in Youth Population Nationwide, Submits Cultural City Development Plan with 12 Projects in 3 Fields Reflecting Its Unique Characteristics... Plan to Create Distinctive Local Culture Linking to Regional Development... Seongbuk-gu Hosts 'Eoullim Music Concert' for Vulnerable Children Sponsored by Kumho Construction... Seodaemun-gu Sinchon Culture Lab Curates Exhibition 'Movement of Gaze'
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) has launched a challenge to be designated as the 5th Cultural City.
The "Cultural City Creation Project," hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is a project aimed at sustainable regional development through culture and spreading the cultural life of local residents, with goals including revitalizing local communities, balanced development through culture, and establishing a foundation for creative and sustainable growth.
The district has continuously prepared for the designation of a cultural city by enacting the "Gwanak-gu Cultural City Creation and Support Ordinance" in December 2020, forming the Cultural City TF team and Cultural City Promotion Committee in February 2021, and opening the Gwanak-gu Cultural City Center in March 2022.
In particular, to effectively operate the citizen deliberation forum "Gwanak Irum," a citizen operation group was launched, and a young PD was appointed as an active participant. Centered on the Cultural City Center, various projects are being promoted to operate citizen governance, expand cultural networks, and rediscover local values.
On the 30th of last month, the district officially submitted its cultural city creation plan with the vision of "Gwanak, a special youth city that affirms each other."
Leveraging the district’s characteristic of having the highest youth population ratio nationwide, the plan consists of 12 projects under three promotion strategies: "Everyone Gwanak," where anyone can participate; "Everyone is Youth," leading neighborhood changes themselves; and "Everyone’s Youth," developing through mutual connections.
Major projects include the village-based project "Gwanak Cheong+Cheong," which involves residents of all generations, "Local Business Gwanak" for revitalizing the local economy and nurturing local entrepreneurs, "Cheong-Sajin" for spreading youth discourse and operating community spaces, and "Intercity Colloquium," a cultural-based intercity cooperation and exchange program.
The Cultural City Creation Project will select the 5th preliminary cultural city in October after written evaluations, on-site reviews, and presentation evaluations starting in July. After conducting a one-year preliminary project, the final designation of the 5th cultural city will be made in October 2023 following a review.
If designated as a legal cultural city, the district can receive up to 20 billion KRW in project funds, including national subsidies, over the next five years, enabling Gwanak-gu to promote various projects to grow as a city with cultural foundations and capabilities.
Park Jun-hee, Mayor of Gwanak-gu, said, "We will fully prepare for the upcoming application schedule to support the process of growing within the region and connecting to the future, creating a unique culture distinctive to Gwanak-gu and achieving results in regional development."
Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) held the "Eoullim Music Concert" for children from vulnerable groups.
Held on the 19th at the Seongbuk Media Culture Maru Kkumbit Theater in Gireum New Town, Seongbuk-gu, the "Eoullim Music Concert" was sponsored by Kumho Construction and organized by the Together Learning Association and the Seongbuk-gu Regional Child Center Council. About 300 people, including children, parents, and workers from 26 regional child centers in Seongbuk-gu, attended.
The performance began with Kumho Construction employees presenting beautiful melodies, including Chopin's "Nocturne op.9 No.2" piano performance and a woodwind quintet. This was followed by a performance by "Momo Ensemble," a group of piano composers playing classical music, and a beautiful mime stage by mime artist Lee Jung-hoon. During the final stage's performance of "Arirang," the audience joined in singing, uniting the organizers, performers, children, parents, and child center workers as one.
In a situation where opportunities for outdoor activities and attending performances have been limited due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the audience left the venue with faces full of emotion and smiles, grateful for this much-needed program. A 5th-grade student from Gireum-dong, Park**, who participated in the event, said, "I wasn't very interested in mime before, but expressing the story of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, whom I respect, through mime was so cool and exciting."
Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, said, "I was disappointed that the Kkumbit Theater, prepared so that the community could easily enjoy performance culture, had few opportunities to be used due to COVID-19, but I am very happy to hear the cheers of our children at the Eoullim Music Concert." He added, "We will continue to do our best so that our future generations can enjoy rich culture in Seongbuk and grow up healthy and safe."
Seongbuk-gu is Korea's first UNICEF-certified child-friendly city and recently obtained the second-stage higher certification of child-friendly city status nationwide. To create a stable care environment, the district has provided emergency disaster relief funds to regional child centers and additional operating expenses to prepare for summer heatwaves, focusing administrative efforts on improving children's rights and creating a safe childcare environment where parents can entrust their children with peace of mind.
An exhibition utilizing the characteristics of a high-ceilinged, glass-walled space in a building in Sinchon, Seodaemun-gu, is attracting attention.
Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Seong-heon) is holding a curated exhibition titled "Movement of Gaze" at the Sinchon Cultural Development Center (57 Yonsei-ro 2na-gil) supporting young cultural artists' creative activities until August 5.
The exhibition features 21 works by visual artist Jung Jin-kyung, including paintings, drawings, and glass sheets, which utilize the spatial characteristics of the building.
Based on curiosity about "Can art be discovered in everyday life?" and "Can the ordinary be transformed into something special?", this exhibition reinterprets and expresses ordinary elements of daily life through a unique visual language.
The artist took advantage of the building's distinctive openness to express everyday objects on the exterior glass walls with lively and refreshing glass sheet artworks.
Inside, paintings and drawings are displayed on the walls between the entrance and the second floor, while objects and paintings are exhibited along the stairs leading to the fourth floor.
These works can be viewed together with the "Discovery! Words of the Street" exhibition held at the entrance of Baramsan in front of the Sinchon Cultural Development Center.
There, temporary structure works inspired by words evoking "spring" and "summer" and typography color sheet works are installed.
The curated exhibitions "Movement of Gaze" and "Discovery! Words of the Street" are free to visit. However, the center is closed on Mondays.
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