[Interview] Kim Young-jong, Mayor of Jongno-gu, "Creating a 'Second Insadong' in the Donhwamun-ro Area"

From January to December 2020, the '2020 Donhwamun-ro Revitalization Project' was launched to develop the Donhwamun-ro area into a second Insadong... Events such as the '2020 Donhwamun-ro Cultural Festival' and 'Donhwamun-ro Outing with Family' were held, linked with traditional culture programs at Woorisori Library, Woorisori Museum, and Donhwamun Gugakdang located in the area... Various events including the Donhwamun-ro Gugak Grand Festival in May and the Korea Gugak Festival in September were also held

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “Donhwamun, located in the heart of Seoul’s city wall, is the main gate of Changdeokgung Palace and the starting point of Donhwamun-ro. As the name 'Donhwa (敦化)' means 'to deeply educate the people,' this place was a road where the king personally traveled to meet the people during the Joseon Dynasty. It was also the route taken during processions to Jongmyo Shrine, royal villas, and when welcoming envoys.”

Kim Young-jong, Mayor of Jongno-gu, said in an interview with Asia Economy that from January to December this year, they will promote the ‘2020 Donhwamun-ro Revitalization Project’ to develop the Donhwamun-ro area, where cultural heritage remains intact, into a second Insadong.

The Donhwamun area saw a decline in visitors after the Japanese colonial period and the transformation of Changgyeongwon into a palace. Additionally, after being designated as a World Cultural Heritage site, building regulations began in the surrounding area, causing merchants to start withdrawing.

Mayor Kim stated, “To revitalize the Donhwamun-ro area, Jongno-gu has rolled up its sleeves to create a vibrant city where people and commercial districts grow together.”

First, they will actively support the ‘Donhwamun-ro Cultural Preservation Society,’ which was voluntarily formed in March last year by local residents, merchants, building owners, and representatives of various councils.

The Cultural Preservation Society provided opinions on major street maintenance projects in the Donhwamun-ro area last year, monitored these projects, and organized the 2019 Donhwamun-ro Cultural Festival. They hold regular and occasional board meetings twice a month to continuously generate ideas for revitalizing Donhwamun-ro, which the district office plans to collect and use as a foundation for regional revitalization.

Next, they plan to hold and support various unique cultural events and festivals utilizing local resources. Events such as the ‘2020 Donhwamun-ro Cultural Festival’ and ‘Donhwamun-ro Outing with Family’ will be held, linked with institutions in the area like the Woori Sori Library, Woori Sori Museum, and Donhwamun Gugakdang (traditional Korean music hall) to operate traditional cultural programs. Diverse events such as the Donhwamun-ro Gugak Grand Festival in May and the Korea Gugak Festival in September will also be held.

From March to November, a resident public contest project for the 2020 Donhwamun-ro revitalization will be conducted. Last year, three projects were selected and implemented, including publishing a newsletter introducing the cultural resources of the Donhwamun-ro area, holding a children’s drawing contest, and a Nanta experience program, which received positive responses from residents. The resident contest project evaluation is conducted in two stages: first a written review, then a subsidy review committee. Upon final selection, project costs of up to 5 million KRW per group will be supported.

Starting in May, efforts will focus on the ‘Donhwamun-ro Car-Free Street Project.’ First, the street environment maintenance work on Donhwamun-ro will be promptly completed, and a car-free street will be created on a 520-meter-long, 22-meter-wide section from in front of Changdeokgung Palace to Myodong Intersection. Once the car-free street project is completed, the district plans to operate Gugak (traditional Korean music) performances and Donhwamun-ro busking shows here to attract the attention of passing citizens.

Also, Gugak-ro, which runs from in front of Donhwamun to Jongno 3-ga Intersection, was historically a place where percussion instruments such as buk (drum), janggu (hourglass drum), jing (gong), and kkwaenggwari (small gong) were rented during the Joseon Dynasty. During the Japanese colonial period, it housed the Joseon Vocal Music Research Society, a Pansori master group, and the early National Gugak Center. Since then, it has continuously been home to master musicians and related organizations, functioning as the ‘center of Gugak.’ It was designated as ‘Gugak-ro’ in 1994 and is still loved as a traditional cultural street where Gugak instruments and hanbok are made and sold, and where Gugak training centers and schools are gathered.

Leveraging these regional characteristics, Jongno-gu has held the ‘Gugak-ro Gugak Grand Festival’ since 2011 and established the specialized space ‘Woori Sori Library’ (Samildae-ro 30-gil 47) in 2017, where visitors can enjoy a variety of Korean music from ancient records to contemporary creations and access Gugak materials ranging from court music to folk music. Woori Sori Library is also Jongno-gu’s 17th library.

Mayor Kim Young-jong said, “I hope Donhwamun-ro, where the king once observed the lives of his people, will today become a representative area in the city where Korean traditional culture and arts can be enjoyed, and a space loved by both domestic and international tourists as well as local residents.”

Jongno-gu has strived to protect Korean heritage and create a city where the past and present harmoniously coexist, leveraging its 600-year tradition as a city.

They have focused on establishing identity by utilizing regional characteristics and have achieved considerable results.

To widely promote the beauty of hanbok, they have held events such as the ‘Jongno Hanbok Festival,’ spreading the excellence of hanbok to citizens and tourists, and introduced hanok architecture into public buildings like the ‘Cheongun Literature Library’ and ‘Mugyewon,’ making hanok a familiar space.

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