One Step Closer to Citizens! ... Pohang City Builds Cultural Infrastructure That Makes Everyday Life Art

‘Munhwa Yesul Factory’ Scheduled to Open in April

Landmark Municipal Museum Construction Underway

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Pohang City plans to expand its competitiveness as a city through culture by expanding experiential cultural complex facilities and strengthening cultural facility improvement projects this year to realize a cultural city where citizens are the protagonists.

Inside the 'Cultural Arts Factory'.

First, Pohang City will open the ‘Culture and Arts Factory,’ a complex cultural experience facility, in April this year within the newly completed Buk-gu Office building last year, expanding opportunities for citizens to enjoy culture and arts.

The Culture and Arts Factory is a next-generation cultural space utilizing smart media technology where anyone can enjoy culture, arts, exhibitions, experiences, and performances. The 3rd and 4th floors will house a multimedia hall, community lounge, gallery, and Old Downtown Archive Hall, while the 5th floor will include spaces for cultural artists’ startup support, work lounges, and classrooms.

Once the Culture and Arts Factory opens, visitors will be able to experience immersive media content, and the creation of a flexible gallery will solve the shortage of exhibition facilities, alleviating inconveniences for local cultural artists.

Additionally, it is expected to contribute to the revitalization of the Old Downtown area by linking with surrounding cultural spaces such as Kkumteullo, the former Suhyup Frozen Warehouse complex cultural space, the Central Library, and the Central Art Hall.

The ‘Seokgok Memorial Hall Construction Project,’ which aims to reexamine the thoughts and life of Seokgok Lee Gyujun, a pioneer of modern Korean medicine born in Pohang, and to foster pride among Pohang citizens, is also scheduled to be completed by May this year.

The Seokgok Memorial Hall will be equipped with facilities such as a storage room and exhibition hall for the ‘Seokgok Master Woodblocks,’ designated as cultural assets by Gyeongbuk Province, as well as a video hall, introducing Seokgok’s thoughts and teachings to Pohang citizens and tourists.

The city is promoting the construction of the ‘Pohang Municipal Museum’ to strengthen Pohang’s cultural tourism competitiveness as a hub city of the East Sea and to create a global landmark museum.

Since the existing Yeongil Folklore Museum has limited exhibition space and constraints in storage and research facilities, the city plans to establish a public museum for systematic preservation, management, and research of local cultural assets, thereby establishing the region’s identity through studies on Pohang’s history, spiritual culture, and local history.

To this end, after thorough preparation, the city plans to apply for a preliminary feasibility evaluation for construction to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in July this year.

Along with this, Pohang City will also promote cultural facility improvement projects so that citizens can enjoy high-quality cultural and artistic performances in a safe and comfortable environment.

To improve the outdated sound system of the main auditorium at the Culture and Arts Center, the amplifier was replaced last year, and this year the speaker system will be replaced to ensure effective sound delivery.

Inside the Culture and Arts Center.

The halogen lamps on the auditorium ceiling will also be replaced with LED lamps to increase energy efficiency and prevent the risk of falling and scattering of the existing halogen lamps, ensuring the safety of the audience. Additionally, corroded fire pipes, valves, and sewage and drainage pumps will be replaced to improve facilities so that the city can respond quickly and actively in emergency disaster situations such as fires or heavy rainfalls.