Mokpo Old Downtown to Be Reborn as the Nation's Only 'Literature Village'

Selected for Ministry of Culture’s “Literature City” Project
144 Billion KRW in National and Local Funds, Completion by 2027
“Distinctive Tourism Resource... Revitalizing the Local Economy”

Mokpo City, South Jeolla Province (Mayor Park Hongryul), is set to be reborn as the nation's only "Literature Village," preserving the spirit of modern and contemporary literature in its original downtown area.

According to the city on the 10th, Mokpo was selected for the "Mokpo Literature Village Development" project, part of the Literary Healing Tourism Route Linkage and Attraction Project under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's Southern Regional Tourism Development initiative. Through this, Mokpo aims to revitalize the local economy by connecting its literary resources?having produced many representative writers of modern and contemporary Korean literature?with tourism assets.

The project will invest a total of 14.46 billion KRW in national and local funds. The city has already carried out administrative procedures such as establishing a comprehensive plan for the Literature Village and will begin in earnest this year with land acquisition, aiming for completion in 2027.

Mokpo Old Downtown Literature Village Plan. Provided by Mokpo City

The Mokwon-dong area, where the Literature Village will be established, is the heart of Mokpo's original downtown and is itself an open-air literary museum. It is the birthplace or creative ground for distinguished writers such as Kim Woojin, Park Hwaseong, Cha Beomseok, and Kim Hyun, who have illuminated Korean literature. The city plans to transform this area into a space where literature and tourism coexist, enhancing both its literary value and unique historical character.

The Literature Village development project will proceed with the following: ▲ creation of an alleyway literary exhibition hall ▲ Literature Village design ▲ establishment of a literature platform.

The Mokpo Literature Museum, currently located in Gatbawi Culture Town, will be relocated to Mokwon-dong and transformed from a composite museum dedicated to four writers?Kim Woojin (playwright), Park Hwaseong (novelist), Cha Beomseok (playwright), and Kim Hyun (literary critic)?into individual literary exhibition halls. Additionally, exhibition halls for Mokpo-born writers such as Kim Jiha (poet), Choi Harim (poet), Cheon Seungse (novelist), and Hwang Hyunsan (literary critic) will be newly established, making it the first in Korea to feature exhibition halls for a total of eight writers throughout the Literature Village area.

This is a unique case possible only in Mokpo, which has produced numerous writers who have made significant marks in the history of Korean literature, and will further elevate Mokpo's status as a city of literature.

In addition, major routes leading to Buljongdae, Namgyo Small Theater, and Bukgyodong Cathedral will be developed as literary alleys named after writers. Throughout the village, there will be literature-themed photo zones and outdoor galleries, as well as a literary design street, literature park, Literature Village Center, and a promotional hall.

Through the establishment of the Literature Village platform, a tourist information center and an online homepage will be created to make it easier for more people to visit the Literature Village. Within the village, a variety of programs such as literary exhibitions and performances, literary festivals, and more?open to both citizens and tourists?will be operated. The project will also be linked with the modern historical and cultural spaces of the original downtown to develop new tourism products.

Mayor Park Hongryul stated, "Interest in literature has been growing since author Han Kang received the Nobel Prize in Literature," and added, "We will utilize Mokpo's rich literary assets to create the nation's first Literature Village, develop it into a distinctive tourism resource, and establish Mokpo as a true city of literature."