Songpa Book Museum 1st Anniversary... Approximately 200,000 Visitors

All Age Groups Favor It for Child Education and Leisure... Leading Book Culture with Various Contents like Exhibitions, Experiences, and Lectures

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) announced on the 23rd that the ‘Songpa Book Museum,’ which celebrated its first anniversary, has established itself as a leading book culture institution and a complex cultural space for residents.

Opened on April 23 last year, the Songpa Book Museum (77, Songpadaero 37-gil) is the first public museum in Korea dedicated to the theme of books.

With a total floor area of 6,211㎡ and consisting of one basement and two above-ground floors, it features ▲ experiential spaces ‘Bookium’ and ‘Kids Studio’ ▲ reading space ‘Eoullim Hall’ ▲ ‘Visible Storage’ for managing and preserving collections ▲ media library ▲ permanent and special exhibition halls, offering a variety of attractions and reading materials free of charge.

Over the past year, the museum has collected 13,287 books and 8,804 book-related artifacts and held exhibitions related to books. Additionally, through various programs including lectures by authors such as Lee Byung-ryul, Jung Yoo-jung, Hwang In-sook, and Yoon Hu-myeong, it has promoted the value of books and the joy of reading.

As a result, more than 197,000 people visited the Songpa Book Museum last year alone, averaging about 900 visitors per day. In a satisfaction survey conducted among visitors to the permanent exhibition hall, 97% (238 respondents) answered ‘very satisfied’ or ‘satisfied.’ Visits for children’s education and leisure were the most common, and the age range of visitors was diverse, from teenagers to people in their 50s. Due to the high response, inquiries and visits from other local governments and national institutions have continued.

In particular, the first special exhibition ‘Songbooks, Singing the Times,’ which opened in December last year, received great acclaim. The exhibition, showcasing over 200 artifacts including songbooks, records, and audio equipment that capture 100 years of Korean popular music history, attracted about 35,000 visitors and was highly loved. Although temporarily closed since February due to COVID-19, the special exhibition has been produced as a 360˚ virtual reality content and is available online (www.bookmuseum.go.kr) for residents with restricted outdoor activities.

Moreover, the unique facility design of the Songpa Book Museum has also drawn attention. Its exterior, resembling books lined up on a shelf with natural light flowing in, harmonizes with the urban landscape while preventing light pollution, earning it the grand prize in the lighting design category at the 8th ‘Seoul Good Light Awards.’

To commemorate the first anniversary and document its status and achievements, the Songpa Book Museum recently published the ‘Songpa Book Museum Yearbook 2019.’ The yearbook, featuring the beloved image of the museum over the year, was distributed to major museums and art galleries nationwide.

Park Seong-su, Mayor of Songpa-gu, stated, “Thanks to the interest and active participation of residents, the Songpa Book Museum has established itself as a cultural space for everyone within just one year of its opening. The Songpa Book Museum will continue to lead Korea’s book culture as a representative space connecting books and people.”

Inside Eoullim Hall. A 'Book Culture Lecture' was held at Eoullim Hall. (The photo shows a lecture by writer Lee Byung-ryul held last month)

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