Choi Ho-kwon, Yeongdeungpo District Mayor, Greatly Welcomes Oh Se-hoon's 'Great Hangang'

Choi Ho-gwon, Yeongdeungpo District Mayor

Seoul City Announces Support for Construction of Yeouido Park?Second Sejong Center and Mullae-dong?District-Run Complex Cultural Facility

Balancing the ‘Justification’ of a Landmark Performance Venue and the ‘Practicality’ of Securing Local Cultural and Artistic Infrastructure

Effect of Recovering Several Hundred Billion Won in Land Acquisition Costs When Building District-Run Cultural Facilities

Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) expressed a ‘welcome’ stance regarding Seoul City’s ‘Great Hangang Project’ announced on the 9th.

The project is praised for securing a landmark performance venue that supports Yeongdeungpo-gu’s status as the only cultural city designated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Seoul, fulfilling the ‘justification,’ while also securing land for a resident-friendly district-run cultural facility that local residents can actively use, fulfilling the ‘practicality.’

On the 9th, Seoul City announced the ‘Great Hangang Project’ aimed at respecting the natural ecology of the Hangang River while enhancing convenience and attractiveness to improve citizens’ quality of life, invigorate the waterfront, and boost Seoul’s urban competitiveness.

The district welcomes the announcement regarding the construction of the ‘Second Sejong Center’ in Yeouido Park and the subsequent commitment during the Q&A session to actively support the construction of a district-run complex cultural facility in Mullae-dong.

Originally, the Second Sejong Center was a project where the district would provide the land free of charge, and the city would be responsible for construction and operation.

However, during a detailed review of the implementation plan for the 8th-term mayoral pledges, it was determined that free land use is only possible for up to five years under the Public Property Act, and a reassessment of free or paid use must be conducted every five years. Therefore, it was judged that “permanent free use approval,” which is a prerequisite for constructing the facility on district-owned land in Mullae-dong, is impossible from the outset.

Accordingly, the district began informing residents of this fact through various media interviews, Yeongdeungpo-gu newsletters, and meetings with residents and organizations.

It emphasized that legally, permanent free use consent is impossible, and the basic policy of the city and city council is to build municipal facilities on city-owned land. Additionally, it continuously stressed that local cultural infrastructure is poor and urgently needs expansion, and that Yeongdeungpo-gu, as the economic and transportation hub of the southwest region with historical significance, is the optimal location for the Second Sejong Center. As a solution, the district has proposed constructing the Second Sejong Center on a larger city-owned land within Yeongdeungpo.

Furthermore, regarding the district-owned land in Mullae-dong, the district accepted requests from local artists, cultural school students, and Mullae Art Village artists for expanding the insufficient cultural infrastructure, and has been actively proposing to Seoul City the expansion of resident-led, community-based cultural infrastructure.

In response, Seoul City promised active support for building the Second Sejong Center in Yeouido Park and the district-run complex cultural facility on the Mullae-dong site.

Therefore, the Second Sejong Center is expected to be constructed on approximately 230,000㎡ of Yeouido Park, about 1.8 times larger than originally planned.

The 12,947㎡ district-owned land in Mullae-dong is expected to gain momentum for the construction of a complex cultural facility for local residents and cultural artists.

Thus, Yeongdeungpo-gu has achieved a 1+1 effect in expanding cultural infrastructure with the large-scale performance venue in Yeouido Park, laying the foundation for sustainable development as a cultural city.

Moreover, by reclaiming the Mullae-dong site for residents, the district has saved several hundred billion won in budget that would have been required for land acquisition when building district-run cultural facilities.

Additionally, the construction of the district-run complex cultural facility will provide affordable spaces for local artist associations, cultural center cultural schools, and Mullae Art Village artists who have faced limitations in performance, exhibition, and creative spaces, enabling stable artistic activities. It will also secure ample activity areas for leading cultural city organizations such as the Yeongdeungpo Cultural Foundation and the Yeongdeungpo-gu Artists’ Federation of the Cultural Center.

Residents near the Mullae-dong site are also expected to enjoy the effect of having a resident-friendly ‘cultural salon’ where they can comfortably experience and participate in culture and arts right in front of their homes.

The district plans to promptly proceed with the project after collecting residents’ opinions through public briefings and other procedures for building the district-run complex cultural facility.

Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, stated, “This announcement will be a milestone for Yeongdeungpo-gu, the only cultural city designated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Seoul, to truly emerge as the cultural center of Seoul,” and added, “We will do our best to maximize residents’ benefits through speedy project implementation.”