5th Anniversary of ‘Songpa Book Museum’... Total Visitors Reach 825,000

The Nation's First Public Book Museum Celebrates 5th Anniversary on April 23
Visited by 272,000 People Last Year, Ranked 2nd Among Seoul Public Museums... Over 18,000 Collections
Five Themed Exhibitions on 'Books', Child-Friendly Spaces, Family Education Programs Loved by Many
Giving Back with 5th Anniversary Events: Magazine Sharing, Commemorative Exhibitions, Storage VR Experience, and More

‘Songpa Book Museum,’ the first public museum in Korea dedicated to the theme of ‘books,’ celebrated its 5th anniversary on the 23rd.

Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) announced that over the past five years, the ‘Songpa Book Museum’ has provided 825,000 people with opportunities to enjoy book culture across eras and has steadily grown as a specialized museum.

Opened in 2019, the ‘Songpa Book Museum’ is a complex cultural space that goes beyond simply viewing exhibits to offer education and hands-on experiences related to books. The facility spans 6,211㎡ across basement level 1 to the 2nd floor and includes ▲ Eoullim Hall ▲ permanent and special exhibition rooms ▲ Bookium and Kids Studio ▲ digital library ▲ visible storage, among others. The building’s exterior, designed to resemble books on a bookshelf, effectively embodies the museum’s identity and has been recognized for excellence, winning the Grand Prize at the 8th Seoul Good Light Awards.

In particular, the district has received great responses by holding special planned exhibitions annually to showcase the diversity of book culture. Through five exhibitions?‘Songbooks, Singing the Era,’ ‘Textbooks, Our Stories,’ ‘The Golden Age of Magazines,’ ‘Welcome to Joseon,’ and ‘Printing, Embracing the Memories of an Era’?the museum distinctively presented the eras reflected in books from the past to the present.

The district also focused on collecting artifacts, a core role of the museum. Since before its opening in 2016, it has collected book culture-related artifacts and currently holds a total of 18,193 items. The collection includes valuable materials such as Joseon Dynasty old books like ‘Zizhi Tongjian Gangmu’ and ‘Oryun Haengsildo,’ modern and contemporary precious documents like the 1920s ‘Sidae Ilbo’ newspaper, as well as various book culture-related items such as wooden furniture, typewriters, and printing presses.

Thanks to these efforts, the ‘Songpa Book Museum’ recorded a cumulative visitor count of 824,415 within five years of its opening. Last year alone, 272,166 visitors came, ranking it second in annual visitors among 11 district-run museums in Seoul. The first place was held by the Seodaemun Museum of Natural History, which has been open for 22 years.

To show appreciation for visitors’ support, the district will continue to hold a variety of events celebrating the 5th anniversary through June.

The celebration begins with a book culture lecture by Korea’s representative poet, writer Jang Seok-ju. On April 23 at 2 p.m. in Eoullim Hall, he will discuss the importance of reading and the joy of reflection under the theme ‘Reading to Live as the Master of My Life.’

In May, the museum’s first special exhibition, which was very popular, ‘Songbooks, Singing the Era,’ will return. Titled ‘Revisiting Songbooks,’ visitors can experience an exhibition of Korean popular songbooks in the museum lobby and enjoy a music caf? photo zone where they can listen to hit songs from different eras.

In June, a ‘Storage VR Experience’ will be offered. Visitors to the open studio on basement level 1 can enter a virtual storage room through VR videos, view the collection items they have been curious about, and access related information.

Additionally, the museum has prepared events such as a magazine sharing event for past issues targeted at the local Saemaeul Library, and the reoperation of popular educational programs like ‘Twinkling Circles Book’ and ‘The Book Museum ON in My Hands.’

Applications for programs and inquiries about events can be checked on the Songpa Book Museum website or by phone.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, stated, “We will continue to support the Songpa Book Museum so that it grows as a specialized museum that conveys the precious value of books and allows people to enjoy book culture, becoming a cultural space representing not only Songpa and Seoul but also Korea.”