Busan Yeongdo Cultural City Expo... Vice Minister Jang Mi-ran "Will Promote the Value of Local Culture"

Opening on the 7th, 100 Local Culture Teams Nationwide Participate

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 7th that it will hold the '2023 Cultural Cities Expo & International Conference' until the 10th at the waterfront area of Bongnae Naru-ro, Yeongdo-gu, Busan, in collaboration with Busan City and the National Cultural Cities Council.

A panoramic view of Bongnae Naru in Yeongdo-gu, Busan. This area has recently been transformed into a tourist attraction with the creation of a coffee street.
[Photo by Yeongdo-gu Office]

A cultural city refers to a city designated by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism under the Regional Culture Promotion Act to promote regional development by utilizing distinctive cultural resources of each area. Currently, a total of 24 cultural cities have been designated, including Seogwipo City, Cheongju City, and Yeongdo-gu in Busan.

This event will focus on sharing the four major achievements of the cultural city projects: ▲creation of cultural "Slse-gwon" (Slippers + Station Area) ▲urban brand creation ▲cultural industry promotion ▲response to regional extinction, and will explore future strategies for regional development through culture.

Jang Mi-ran, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will attend the opening ceremony of the cultural expo held on a barge at Bongnae Naru-ro, Yeongdo-gu, at 6 p.m. on the 8th. She will encourage cultural city promotion contributors and institutional officials, including Park Ki-young, chairman of Daepyeong-dong Village and a citizen promotion committee member of Yeongdo Cultural City; Joo Hee-jin, CEO of DD Motion, who contributed to pioneering sales channels for local cultural products with Cheongju Cultural City; and YG Entertainment, which has worked to reduce regional cultural disparities with Wanju Cultural City.

At the opening ceremony, 40 Yeongdo residents will perform 'Dancing Yeongdo,' and the band Naraechi, who participated in the Busan edition of the Korea Tourism Promotion Video, along with Busan’s representative indie band Bosudong Cooler, will give congratulatory performances.

The promotional booths of the 24 cultural cities nationwide can be found at the parking lot (Wonji Lounge) of 'Wonji,' a logistics warehouse in Yeongdo-gu converted into a restaurant. Seven themed exhibition halls will be operated, focusing on the achievements created by cultural cities over the past three years, including cultural city policies and urban branding.

One hundred local cultural creators who are creating and settling new jobs based on culture in their regions will operate 'popup booths' along the sea route of Bongnae Naru-ro. From the 8th to the 10th, visitors can view cultural products, activities, and content and participate in experiential events every day from 2 p.m.

At cafes Momos Coffee and Mumyeong Ilgi in the Bongnae Naru-ro area, a 'Local Culture Salon' will be held. At Kkeuti Bongnae, a complex cultural space operated by Yeongdo-based local cultural company RTBP, the 'Yeongdo Local Brand Convenience Store' will open from the 7th to the 10th, introducing and selling products from 20 local brands of Yeongdo.

Panoramic view of Huinyeoul Culture Village, Yeongdo, Busan.
Photo by Asia Economy DB

The Yeongdo Cultural City Center, which is hosting this expo, operates the 'Yeongdo Cultural City Tour Program Encountering the Novel Pachinko.' Participants can meet the main characters and key scenes from the novel 'Pachinko' and travel to major locations in Yeongdo-gu such as Kkangkkangi Art Village and Yangdabang.

The international academic conference, which shares cases of regional development through culture and holds conferences and talk shows, will be held from the 7th to the 10th at Blueport2021, a complex cultural space in Yeongdo-gu.

At the conference, Professor Noda Kunihiro of Tottori University, Japan, author of 'Creative City Yokohama,' will present on 'Strategies for Regional Development through Culture'; Professor Lee Jeong-hee of Portland State University will discuss 'The Coexistence Relationship between Cities and Urban Universities Based on the Portland Case'; and Team Leader Jo Jae-woo of Chuncheon Cultural City Center will present the '10-Minute Cultural Zone' case of Chuncheon Cultural City.

The cultural city talk show will be conducted with various experts. Professor Yoo Hyun-joon of Hongik University’s Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, who appears on tvN’s 'Alssul Byeoljap,' will discuss 'How to Upgrade Cities'; Dr. Kwon Myung-hwan, a psychiatrist at Haedong Hospital and author of 'It’s Okay to Say You’re Clumsy,' will talk about 'Comfort and Art Stories for Those Who Are Emotionally Clumsy'; and Professor Jeon Young-soo of Hanyang University, author of 'Korea Population Trends 2022~2025,' will discuss 'The Role of Regions in Responding to the Population Cliff,' sharing opinions with citizens.

Vice Minister Jang Mi-ran said, "All citizens should enjoy culture without discrimination regardless of where they live. It is important that the economy of regions is revitalized through culture and tourism, and that culture prevents regional extinction." She added, "I hope this expo will widely promote the value of regional culture and serve as a great foundation for presenting a blueprint for regional development through culture."