Gyeonggi Provincial Cultural Foundation Renamed Gyeonggi Art Center Starting Today

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Gyeonggi Arts Center will change its name from Gyeonggi Provincial Cultural Foundation starting from the 16th, following the proclamation of the ordinance.

Gyeonggi Provincial Cultural Foundation opened in 1991 as Gyeonggi Provincial Culture and Arts Hall and adopted the name Gyeonggi Provincial Cultural Foundation in 2004 when it became a foundation corporation. However, issues were raised due to the long name and confusion with similarly named public institutions. Additionally, the term "Jeondang," commonly used by local government performance halls established in the 1990s and 2000s, was criticized for having an authoritative connotation.

Accordingly, Gyeonggi Provincial Cultural Foundation conducted a six-month name diagnosis last year. Opinions were gathered and public discussions held with employees, art troupe members, residents of 31 cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province, brand experts, performing arts specialists, customer advisory groups, general audiences, and paid members. At a grand forum involving these groups along with the Gyeonggi Provincial Council and Gyeonggi Province stakeholders, the decision was made to change the name to Gyeonggi Arts Center.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Art Troupe, as a public art organization of Gyeonggi Province, will also change its name to "Gyeonggi Art Troupe" to strengthen the Gyeonggi brand and adopt a concise and familiar name. A new Brand Identity (BI) will also be introduced.

Lee Woo-jong, president of Gyeonggi Provincial Cultural Foundation, said, "Although there were some objections to the English name, 'Arts Center' is already a widely accepted term both overseas and domestically, like orchestra or piano, and it is the simplest and most intuitive name representing a complex performing arts space. Along with the performance season system implemented this year, I hope this name change conveys well the vision to reestablish the professionalism and public nature of Gyeonggi’s representative arts institution."

The new name "Gyeonggi Arts Center" passed the ordinance amendment review by the Gyeonggi Provincial Council on February 26.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.