Yeongdeungpo Market Station Reborn as a 'Cultural and Artistic Landmark'

Yeongdeungpo Market Station Reborn as a Cultural and Artistic Haven for Residents and Businesses... Collaboration between Yeongdeungpo-gu and Seoul Metro Shines, Emerging as a Cultural and Artistic Landmark

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Chae Hyun-il) celebrated the birth of a local cultural and artistic landmark together with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Metro at the opening ceremony of the Yeongdeungpo Market Station Cultural Arts Railroad Pilot Station on July 31.

The transformation of Yeongdeungpo Market Station began on June 1 when the district and Seoul Metro signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to create a cultural and artistic environment in and around the subway station.

Seoul Metro invested approximately 3.1 billion KRW in this project, with the district participating and mobilizing local networks including the Yeongdeungpo Social Economy Network and Yeongdeungpo Cultural Foundation.

Alongside this, the district took steps to invigorate social enterprises, which have faced many restrictions in their activities due to COVID-19, by allocating additional budget in the second half of the year.

Opened in 1996, the subway Line 5 Yeongdeungpo Market Station underwent about six months of construction and was transformed into an open space blending culture and art for the first time in 24 years.

Using approximately 1,890㎡ of idle space on basement levels 1, 2, and 6, as well as internal staircases, the project created a culture and arts platform based on the local community, inspired by the motif of "Rediscovery of the Market."

The newly opened Yeongdeungpo Market Station Cultural Arts Railroad Pilot Station will operate on a trial basis for about one year starting this month. During this period, local social enterprises and artists will fill and activate the space together. Subway users will enjoy rest and entertainment, social enterprises will gain future business opportunities, and local artists will have a stage for their activities.

On basement level 1, the "Market Yard" hosts a market during the last Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of each month during rush hours, featuring a new theme each month. The booth designs for the market were developed through the district’s "Local Problem-Solving Social Venture Team Development Project," which started last year.

The theme for July is "Homecance," showcasing innovative products from social enterprises as well as workshop artworks by local artists.

Starting in August, small-scale performances and busking will be held by social enterprises located in the district’s Social Economy Support Center.

On basement level 2, the "Creative Sam" space allows for the production of promotional content and YouTube videos. This space is also managed by local social enterprises. They plan to rebrand products from various social enterprises, create promotional content, and broadcast it on the media wall located on basement level 1.

Since establishing the Social Economy Division under the Future Vision Promotion Team in 2019, the district has continuously promoted various projects with residents to revitalize social economy organizations based in the community and realize social economy in daily life. These projects include the "Local Problem-Solving Social Venture Team Development Project," "Co-living Apartment Project," "Resident Technology School," and "Apartment Living Workshop."

As a result of these efforts, the number of social enterprises in the area increased about 1.7 times from 43 (as of January 2019) to 74 (as of June 2020). This indicates that social enterprises based in the community have established themselves as economic actors within the region, and resident satisfaction with the social economy has reached a high level.

Chae Hyun-il, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, stated, "The aging station has been reborn embracing culture and art," and added, "We will spare no support so that the community, residents, and social economy can grow together."

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