Yangnim-dong Penguin Village, Reborn as a Craft Specialty Street

Jo In-cheol, Deputy Mayor of Culture and Economy of Gwangju Metropolitan City, attended the opening ceremony of the Craft Specialty Street held in Yangnim-dong Penguin Village on the afternoon of the 5th. After hanging fish-shaped wind chimes with the guests, he took a commemorative photo. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Yangnim-dong Penguin Village has been reborn as a craft-specialized street.

Gwangju Metropolitan City and Nam-gu announced on the 7th that they held an opening ceremony for the 'Craft-Specialized Street' at Yangnim-dong Penguin Village on the 5th and conducted various events.

The craft-specialized street is a project promoted by Gwangju City and Nam-gu through collecting residents' opinions and consulting urban regeneration experts. In particular, combining the craft industry promotion policy with the retro atmosphere of the alleys, about 20 old houses were remodeled and newly renovated as a craft-specialized street.

The opening ceremony proceeded in the order of pre-performance, project progress report, commendation of contributors, hanging fish scenery, and on-site tour. Following that, on the 6th and 7th, various events such as a flea market involving craft workshops in the craft-specialized street, companies located in Yangnim-dong, and local workshops, busking performances, craft experience programs, and the Gwangju Craft Masters Exhibition were held.

In the newly renovated craft-specialized street, 11 craft workshops have moved in and operate sales spaces, and visitors can also experience a workshop, exhibition hall, and MBC open studio.

The workshops operate programs that allow tourists to directly make or purchase crafts made from materials such as textiles, woodworking, ceramics, and metal, and they plan to offer a craft academy and children's experience programs for citizens who want to learn crafts.

Yangnim-dong has been recognized as a representative tourist destination of Gwangju as a treasure trove of modern historical culture, with Christian missionary cultural resources and modern and contemporary architecture still existing, and having produced many cultural artists such as Kim Hyun-seung and Jeong Yul-seong. In particular, Penguin Village, created by gathering discarded items in an abandoned lot, is a representative cultural tourist destination in Gwangju known by word of mouth among out-of-town tourists.

Jo In-cheol, Deputy Mayor of Culture and Economy, said, “As Yangnim-dong Penguin Village, a hot place in Gwangju, is reborn as a craft-specialized street, it is expected to become a representative cultural experience tourism destination in Gwangju by providing a foundation for the development of Gwangju's craft industry and harmonizing with the rich attractions of Yangnim-dong Historical and Cultural Village.”

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