Jangheung-gun Opens Former Jangheung Prison as 'Cultural and Arts Complex'

Ministry of Justice Correction Headquarters and Korean Film Archive Sign 'Business Agreement'

Jangheung-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Kim Seong) announced on the 16th that it will hold the "Jangheung Prison Cultural and Arts Complex Opening Ceremony" at the former Jangheung Prison chapel on the 23rd.

The former Jangheung Prison Cultural and Arts Complex project is a cultural regeneration initiative that transforms facilities that have lost their original function into spaces for cultural and artistic exchange and experience. It was selected through a public contest by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2019, and 10.3 billion KRW has been invested over five years from 2020 to 2024.

Former Jangheung Prison exterior. Provided by Jangheung County

So far, six buildings of the former Jangheung Prison have been remodeled to create the Glorious Bookstore, Writing Prison, Visitation Experience Center, Jangheung Prison Archive, and Correctional History Exhibition Hall. Additionally, a business agreement has been signed with the Correction Headquarters of the Ministry of Justice and the Korean Film Archive to operate and support the Correctional History Exhibition Hall and establish and manage a regional media library, forming various cooperative relationships.

Through the agreement with the Korean Film Archive, the county plans to build a media library in the Glorious Bookstore, providing a service that allows free viewing of classic Korean films and more without visiting the Korean Film Archive.

Governor Kim Seong said, "The former Jangheung Prison Cultural and Arts Complex has been promoting various pilot programs to be reborn as a new space that communicates with the local community," adding, "We will continue to contribute to the local economy by establishing a Prison Hotel and Jangheung Video Studio."