Dongcheon-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju: Bridging Generations with Books through Village BI

Youth Autobiography Publication Ceremony
and My First Book Photo Exhibition

Event site of intergenerational empathy through the use of BI in Dongcheon-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju. Provided by Seo-gu Office

On December 12, Dongcheon-dong in Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City held the "Youth Autobiography Publication Ceremony and My First Book Photo Exhibition" at the Administrative Welfare Center, organized by the Residents’ Association.

This event brought together autobiographies written by middle-aged residents of Dongcheon-dong and photos of newborns with their first gifted books, under the theme "A Page in the Book Village Created by Generations Together."

Dongcheon-dong has consistently promoted village projects centered around books and education, guided by its village brand identity (BI), "Dadokdadok Book Village." In particular, since 2023, the district has continued the "First Book of Life" project, which delivers books and congratulatory messages to families of newborns. Dongcheon-dong also gained attention by being selected as the only neighborhood-level organization nationwide to carry out the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Reading Academy competition project.

This year, the district expanded its reading culture program to include middle-aged residents, operating the "Youth Autobiography" program, where residents recorded their lives in writing. One participant shared, "As I wrote about the days I have lived, forgotten moments came back to me and I was deeply moved. I feel great pride in the fact that my story will remain as a book."

Park Byungchae, Chairperson of the Dongcheon-dong Residents’ Association, said, "Through this event, which brings together the lives of the middle-aged and the beginnings of newborns, we were able to reaffirm that Dongcheon-dong is a warm community embracing all generations. We will continue to discover and develop various village projects that bring people and books together."