Yeongwol-gun Wins 'Grand Prize in Policy Brand Category' in Public Brand Contest

Cultural City Brand 'From Dark Coal Gwangsan to Shining Cultural Gwangsan'
Award Ceremony on the 29th... "Encouraging Participation of Residents in Abandoned Mine Areas through Policy Branding"

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Yeongwol-gun (Governor Choi Myeong-seo) announced on the 29th that the Yeongwol Culture and Tourism Foundation Cultural City Center won the grand prize in the policy brand category at the "2nd Korea Public Brand Awards" hosted by the Korea Public Brand Promotion Institute (KAPB).

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Yeongwol-gun Yeongwol Culture and Tourism Foundation Cultural City Center won the Grand Prize in the Policy Brand category at the "2nd Korea Public Brand Awards" hosted by the Korea Public Brand Promotion Institute (KAPB). On the 29th, a ceremony was held, and officials took a commemorative photo. Photo by Yeongwol-gun Office

The awards ceremony was held that afternoon at the Jamsil Advertising Culture Hall in Seoul, attended by about 100 representatives from government ministries, local governments, public institutions, public enterprises, and private companies.

The work submitted by the Yeongwol Culture and Tourism Foundation Cultural City Center was the policy brand of Cultural City Yeongwol titled "From a Dark Coal Mine to a Shining Cultural Mine." This brand was planned by the Yeongwol Cultural City Center in 2021 during the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's cultural city contest, reflecting the determination to overcome issues such as population decline and regional economic stagnation caused by the collapse of the mining industry through the "power of culture."

It reflects a firm will to leap from a mine (鑛山) that develops mineral resources to a shining mine (光山) of cultural resources, incorporating the uniqueness of the region. Currently, Yeongwol-gun is the only "cultural city" designated in a closed mine area with the smallest population, actively promoting related projects.

This grand prize award was highly evaluated for systematically managing the brand from a public brand perspective, including strategic input, process, results, and performance. In particular, it was recognized for projects that create visible outcomes and strengthen urban competitiveness.

By collaborating with media companies and cultural city branding, they produced and distributed content utilizing the "Obaek Nahan Statue," and the "2024 Culture Recharge Project: Cultural Yeongwol Art Show" is a comprehensive festival combining exhibitions, performances, and art experiences, creating a platform for exchanges among local residents as well as various artists inside and outside Yeongwol.

Additionally, the "Mine Archive" project reexamined mining culture and enhanced the role of the public brand by utilizing the discovered content. Since 2023, the Cultural City Center has started the Yeongwol mine documentation project with a citizen record group, publishing "Memories of Sangdong Mining Site, Our Records," and this year is expanding mine content through investigation and research of Machari Yeongwol Mining Site materials, exhibitions, experiences, and educational programs.

Kim Gyeong-hee, director of the Yeongwol Culture and Tourism Foundation Cultural City Center, said, "Population decline, local extinction, and economic stagnation are not problems unique to Yeongwol-gun but concerns shared by all closed mine areas," adding, "Closed mine areas sharing the common denominator of 'mine' will fulfill their role as public goods encouraging resident participation through the policy brand 'From a Dark Coal Mine to a Shining Cultural Mine,' spreading mining culture."

Meanwhile, Yeongwol-gun was designated as the 4th statutory cultural city and has been actively promoting cultural city development projects under the slogan "From a Dark Coal Mine to a Shining Cultural Mine" from last year through 2027, aiming to make culture a turning point for urban development.