Gwangju Jeonil Building 245 Establishes Itself as a 'Citizen Cultural Space'

22 Experience-Focused Programs with 48,000 Participants
Popular Citizen-Led Events Including 'Busking Challenge'

A reference photo of the specialized program "Busking Challenge" at Jeonil Building 245, where citizens step out of their role as audience members to stand on stage and interact directly with invited buskers. Provided by Gwangju City.

Gwangju Jeonil Building 245 is establishing itself as a ‘citizen cultural space.’ Located at the historic site of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, this place operates differentiated ‘specialized programs’ every weekend, attracting over 48,000 participants and playing a significant role as a complex cultural space for citizens.

According to Gwangju City on the 2nd, from May 18 to November 30, more than 48,000 people participated in the ‘Jeonil Building 245 Citizen Cultural Experience Specialized Program,’ which consisted of exhibitions, convergence performances, invitational exhibitions, busking, tours, craft experiences, flea markets, and humanities talks.

This year’s program, themed ‘Timeless 24.5h,’ symbolizing the new future of Jeonil Building, was planned to include all age groups and operated a total of 22 programs 346 times. Above all, the significance of this year’s program lies in the fact that citizens actively led and participated in the programs.

The ‘Busking Challenge’ transformed the audience role into citizen buskers who took the stage themselves to showcase their talents and communicate with invited buskers. Programs such as ‘Active Clubs,’ where citizens proactively create and perform activities, ‘Citizen Participation Open Mic,’ where participants brand themselves and become speakers, and the ‘K-Content Producer Training Course,’ where students become producers to create videos and hold screenings, were very popular.

The ‘Story Song Festival: Songs Carry Stories,’ held on the 16th of last month, saw 160 participants, with 8 finalists advancing through a 20-to-1 preliminary competition ratio, fully displaying their talents on the final stage. They shared and communicated their personal stories embedded in their songs with the audience, receiving high praise.

The ‘Stamp Tour,’ inspired by an ‘escape room game,’ is a mission-based game conducted inside the Jeonil Building 245, which became a catalyst for Jeonil Building 245 to gain recognition as a representative space in Gwangju. The ‘Stamp Tour,’ held 18 times, attracted 980 participants who reflected on the historical significance of Jeonil Building.

A citizen who participated in ‘Humanities Travel Book Festival,’ where participants can communicate with writers and cultivate humanities knowledge, said, “Recently, with author Han Kang winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, humanities have been gaining attention. Listening to the sincere stories of authors Park Jun and Im Hong-taek with my child was a rich experience. I am grateful for programs that allow citizens to participate in various ways, including experiences and lectures.”

Yoo Jeong-ah, Director of Cultural City Development, said, “Through the Jeonil Building 245 Citizen Specialized Program, citizens were able to approach Jeonil Building more closely both physically and psychologically. As visits and participation by the younger generation have noticeably increased, we will prepare next year’s programs thoroughly to encourage their return visits.”