Opening of 'Bitgeul, Gonggam Village Library' in Dangsan-gol, Yeongdeungpo-gu

Converting Cafe-Style General Restaurants into Community Cultural Facilities... 'Dangsan-gol Cultural Street' Second Village Library... Book Cafe-Style Library Filled with Hobby and Practical Books... Used as Community Cultural and Leisure Space

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Chae Hyun-il) remodeled a cafe-style general restaurant located in Dangsan-gol into the ‘Bitgeul, Gonggam Village Library,’ where residents can enjoy leisure time with books, and opened it on the 28th.

The name ‘Bitgeul, Gonggam Village Library’ means ‘empathy through books becomes the light in dark alleys.’ It is the second library following the ‘Chaeknamu Village Library,’ which opened last October after remodeling a cafe-style general restaurant in Dangsan-gol.

A cafe-style general restaurant refers to an establishment that illegally operates by closing the door when customers enter and selling alcohol by the owner or employees. About 40 such establishments were concentrated in the residential alleys of Dangsan-ro.

Since last year, the district has been promoting the ‘Dangsan-gol Cultural Street’ project, encouraging the voluntary withdrawal of cafe-style general restaurants in the area and creating cultural facilities such as exhibition spaces for artists, cafes, neighborhood bookstores, and community spaces where these establishments once stood. This time, the second village library, ‘Bitgeul, Gonggam Village Library,’ was opened.

The library, designed as a cozy but well-equipped book caf? with an area of about 50㎡, mainly houses books on hobbies and practical fields. It is intended to be used by residents as a place for various cultural and leisure activities in daily life, including travel planning.

The front of the library, where the entrance is located, was made with full glass to give an open feeling and improve residents’ accessibility to the library by allowing a clear view inside.

Additionally, the interior features a modern and stylish design that gives the impression of being in a gallery, allowing visitors to experience a significant change from before.

Chae Hyun-il, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, said, “I hope that ‘Bitgeul, Gonggam Village Library,’ with books and culture, will become a space that brightens Dangsan-gol as its name suggests,” and added, “I expect it to serve as a community hub where residents can communicate and share culture while enjoying tea.”

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