Creating a Community Space for Residents on the 1st Floor of an Empty Church Building in Yaksu-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul

Community Center Program Room, Lecture Room, Cafe, and Other Spaces Scheduled to Open Early Next Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] A 186.86㎡ (approximately 57 pyeong) community space for residents will soon be established on the first floor of the Yaksu-dong Church building next to the Yaksu-dong Community Service Center in Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Seo Yang-ho).

As the neighborhood government of Jung-gu, emphasizing resident-centered and resident participation, takes root, various activities by residents are becoming more active. Along with this, as the demand for community spaces where residents can gather to share opinions or hold small meetings steadily increased, efforts were made in Yaksu-dong to secure such a space through on-site efforts.

Since last year, Yaksu-dong has been striving to secure a resident community space, but high rent and lack of suitable spaces made it difficult to proceed with the project.

Meanwhile, when the first floor of the church building next to the community center, previously used as a cafe and clothing store, became vacant, continuous persuasion of the building’s landlord, the church, led to a result of free use for five years.

Father Park Jong-hoon and the Yaksu-dong Church side expressed their happiness to share the space during difficult times as part of the local community and willingly accepted the challenging proposal.

On the 7th, Yaksu-dong signed an agreement with the church regarding the free use of the space and will mutually cooperate in the creation and use of the resident community space. Accordingly, the newly created community space will be available to all Yaksu-dong residents on weekdays and will serve as a place for the church’s original activities on weekends.

The resident community space is scheduled to open early next year after interior construction and will be developed into spaces desired by residents such as a community center program room, lecture room, and cafe. Management will utilize social jobs targeted at local residents.

Cho Hyun-woo, head of Yaksu-dong, expressed expectations, saying, "This space will serve as a beloved gathering place for capable residents who can develop Yaksu-dong as the optimal space next to the community center."

In November, Yaksu-dong also secured a 528㎡ (approximately 160 pyeong) resident community activation space by signing an agreement with Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation to use the vacant management building of rental apartments within Namsan Town Apartments.

Seo Yang-ho, Mayor of Jung-gu, stated, "This project is significant above all because it presented a new public-private cooperation model by combining the church’s idle space and the operation of the community center to solve the problem of insufficient space," adding, "We will continue to support securing various community spaces so that residents can actively engage in activities."

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