Daegu Eyewear Industry Birthplace Reborn as an 'Industrial Tourism Hub'... Selected in Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Contest

The Site of Korea's First Eyeglass Factory 'Gukje Celluloid' Recognized for Preservation Value and Cultural Content

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] The site of 'Gukje Celluloid,' Korea's first eyeglass factory and the birthplace of the Korean eyeglass industry, is being reborn as a cultural regeneration space for citizens.

Daegu City and the Korea Optical Industry Promotion Foundation announced on the 3rd that the Gukje Celluloid site was finally selected in June for the '2020 Idle Space Cultural Regeneration Basic Plan Research Target Site Contest,' hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Regional Culture Promotion Institute, and have begun full-scale research services.

'Gukje Celluloid' is the origin of Korea's first eyeglass industry rooted in Daegu since 1946. It is now recognized for its preservation value and usability due to being an idle space and changes in the era's paradigm.

Within a 1 km radius, there is Buk-gu Office, the 3rd Industrial Complex, the Eyeglass Special Zone, markets, and commercial districts densely populated, resulting in a large floating population. Additionally, the abundant demand in the hinterland and its location at a transportation hub were highly evaluated in this contest.

Daegu City plans to promote related projects as a major regional representative project based on the research service results that derived development types for each target site conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Regional Culture Promotion Institute.

Hong Ui-rak, Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Daegu City, said, "We plan to create an archive that reexamines the value of the eyeglass industry with over 80 years of manufacturing history, giving new modern cultural heritage value to the region," adding, "We expect it to greatly help revitalize the local economy by fostering industrial tourism that enjoys both industry and culture and activating the attraction of domestic and foreign visitors."

Meanwhile, among 226 local governments across 17 cities and provinces nationwide, a total of five regions (Daegu, Andong, Bucheon, Yeoju, and Naju), including Daegu City, were finally selected in this year's contest.

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