"The primary reason King Sejong created Hangeul was his spirit of love for the people. I hope that Sejong, as a Hangeul Cultural City, will embody this spirit and philosophy."
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoon Inchon made these remarks at a meeting with stakeholders of the Hangeul Cultural City held at the Jochiwon 1927 Art Center in Jochiwon-eup, Sejong Special Self-Governing City on February 12, 2025.
Minister Yoon emphasized, "King Sejong created Hangeul out of concern for ordinary people who struggled because they did not know Chinese characters. Sejong City should develop into a city where everyone can communicate freely, without conflict or discrimination between different social groups."
Yoon Inchon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, met with officials, experts, and citizens at the Jochiwon 1927 Art Center in Sejong City, which was selected as a "Korea Cultural City," on the 12th to discuss opinions on the "Hangeul Cultural City." Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Minister Yoon visited Sejong City on this day to review the status of its cultural city projects and listen to opinions from local stakeholders, as Sejong was one of the 13 cities ultimately selected in December 2024 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a "Korea Cultural City." A total budget of 260 billion won (20 billion won per city) will be invested in these 13 cities by 2027. Sejong City is pursuing various projects with the goal of becoming a "Hangeul Cultural City Connecting the World."
Minister Yoon presented several ideas to enhance Sejong City's status as a Hangeul Cultural City. "One option is to launch an FM radio station that can only be heard in Sejong, broadcasting Korean novels, poetry, essays, and other content related to our language and literature 24 hours a day. The city could also become the one with the most small libraries and bookstores in the country." He added, "These projects may not be commercially profitable, but investment is necessary to enhance the city's value as a cultural city."
Choi Minho, Mayor of Sejong Special Self-Governing City, who attended the meeting, also emphasized Sejong's role in promoting Hangeul culture. He introduced his connection with Minister Yoon, noting that they jointly received the "Big Star Award" from the Hangeul Society in 2011, and said, "Now the conditions are in place to realize the plans we envisioned together at that time. I will do my best to ensure Sejong leads the way among Korea's cultural cities."
Mayor Choi explained that in 2011, when Minister Yoon was in office, he promoted the establishment of the National Hangeul Museum, while Choi himself received an award from the Hangeul Society for naming neighborhoods, schools, and roads in Sejong with pure Korean words. At that time, Choi was the head of the Multifunctional Administrative City Construction Agency, just before the launch of Sejong City.
The Jochiwon 1927 Art Center, where the meeting was held, is a space transformed from an abandoned industrial facility into a complex cultural venue through the government's cultural regeneration project. Originally established as the Sanil Spinning Factory in 1927, it operated as the Hanlim Paper Factory from the 1970s until 2003, after which it was left vacant. In 2017, it was selected as a target site for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's cultural regeneration project and has since been reborn. It is now used for performances and exhibitions.
After touring the site, Minister Yoon said, "Jochiwon was once a transportation hub, but as Sejong City was newly developed, it became relatively underdeveloped. I believe this space will become an important place that revitalizes the old downtown and captures the area's unique significance."
Yoon Inchon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is touring Leeung Bridge, one of the Local100 sites in Sejong City, on the 12th. Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
After the meeting, Minister Yoon visited the Geumgang Pedestrian Bridge. This bridge, shaped like the Hangeul letter 'ㅇ,' is called Leeung Bridge. It is Korea's first double-deck pedestrian bridge, with the upper deck for pedestrians and the lower deck exclusively for bicycles. The length of the bridge was set at 1,446 meters to commemorate the year 1446, when Hangeul was created. Construction began in July 2018, was completed in December 2021, and the bridge opened in March 2022, with a total construction cost of 111.6 billion won. Leeung Bridge was selected as one of the "Local100" sites announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in October 2023, which highlights local attractions, content, and notable figures that showcase the unique charms of each region.
Minister Yoon stated, "I hope Leeung Bridge, which embodies the meaning of Hangeul, will become a symbolic landmark of Sejong City."
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