'15 Billion Won Investment' VR Devices, Guides, and Exhibits Rendered Useless
Reduced to Merchants’ Association Program Space
Urgent Need for Operational Improvements
On the 12th, the door of Yangdong Market History Exhibition Hall in Seo-gu, Gwangju, remained firmly closed with the lights off. Photo by Min Chanki
Despite the government and local authorities investing billions of won in taxpayer money to establish a history exhibition hall under the pretext of fostering Yangdong Market, a representative market of Gwangju, it has been revealed that the facility has failed to attract visitors and has instead been reduced to a space used solely for the merchants’ association’s internal programs.
Furthermore, the local district office has made no effort to track operational performance, such as visitor numbers to the history exhibition hall. At the same time, additional billions of won in public funds have been poured in under the guise of revitalizing the commercial district. This has led to criticism that taxpayers’ money is being wasted and that urgent improvements to the management plan are needed.
According to Seo-gu, Gwangju, on August 12, the district office spent 1,378 million won (comprising 827 million won in national funds, 276 million won in city funds, and 275 million won in district funds) to establish the Yangdong Market History Exhibition Hall in 2010 as part of a project to foster cultural tourism-type markets.
The cultural tourism-type market development project is designed to support the creation and development of attractions, entertainment, and food offerings that can represent the market by linking local historical, cultural, and tourism resources. Seo-gu utilized the rooftop space of Yangdong Market to create an area for exhibitions, educational care, and community interaction.
The history exhibition hall provides detailed explanations of Yangdong Market’s traditional history, spanning from the 1600s through the Japanese colonial period, liberation, and into modern and contemporary times.
Additionally, in 2021, Seo-gu invested another 200 million won (100 million won in national funds, 50 million won in city funds, and 50 million won in district funds) under the name of the Yangdong Traditional Market Commercial District Revitalization Project to add a space for explaining the market’s history, a VR experience area, and an exhibition area for old market items. The merchants’ association of Yangdong Market is responsible for managing and operating the history exhibition hall.
Despite these tens of billions of won being spent on establishing and maintaining the history exhibition hall, it has now lost its original purpose and is used exclusively as a venue for the merchants’ association’s internal programs, such as yoga and AI art playgrounds.
In reality, the exhibition hall was used as a venue for the Onnuri Gift Certificate refund event from August 6 to 9, and a banner reading “Yangdong Market AI Art Maker: I Am Also a Cheon Art Artist” was hung on one of the walls.
On the 12th, the 'Famous Skate VR Device' at Yangdong Market History Exhibition Hall in Seo-gu, Gwangju, was covered in dust with the power turned off. Photo by Min Chanki
Despite the operating hours for weekdays, weekends, and holidays being posted at the entrance, the exhibition hall remained firmly closed with the lights off. Entry was only possible with the assistance of the merchants’ association. The “Yangdong Market Famous Skate VR Device,” installed in 2021 as part of the commercial district revitalization project, was left powered off and covered in dust, effectively abandoned. In the exhibition area displaying items such as scales, clocks, and knives used in Yangdong Market, signboards for programs operated by the merchants’ association were placed over the exhibits, making it difficult to view them.
A representative of the merchants’ association stated, “No one visits on a regular basis. Since the space is empty, it is currently being used as a venue for program rentals. At one point, it was open all the time, but due to uninvited guests such as homeless people, we keep the doors closed now.”
Regarding this, a Seo-gu official commented, “For now, the space is being used for Onnuri Gift Certificate refund events and merchants’ association programs. In the future, we plan to enable the merchants’ association to use the exhibition hall for their own programs.”
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