Incheon Yeonsu-gu Designated as Preliminary Cultural City... Establishment of Dedicated Project Team and Comprehensive Plan Formulation

Designated as a Legal Cultural City After Final Review in One Year
Up to 20 Billion KRW Cultural City Project to be Promoted for 5 Years

Incheon Yeonsu-gu Office

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Yeonsu-gu, Incheon has been designated as a preliminary cultural city by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's '3rd Cultural City Designation Contest.'

According to Yeonsu-gu on the 25th, out of 41 local governments nationwide that applied for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's 3rd Cultural City Designation Contest last July, 10 cities including Yeonsu-gu and Seo-gu in Incheon were designated as preliminary cultural cities.

Yeonsu-gu is a planned city created by reclaiming mudflats and the sea over about 25 years, including the development of Songdo International City under the Free Economic Zone Act. It received high evaluations for proposing a cultural city development plan aimed at overcoming economic and psychological disparities within the city through citizens' cultural activities and creating new urban development momentum.

It was also praised for presenting a variety of foundations and visions as a dynamic city based on a culture of cultural exchange and solidarity, coexistence, and inclusion under the vision of "Yeonsu, a city of companionship connected and fulfilled through culture."

A "cultural city" refers to a city designated under the Regional Culture Promotion Act to effectively utilize local cultural resources and promote regional development through cultural creativity.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's cultural city designation project aims to designate around 30 cultural cities by 2022 and support overall regional development plans through culture, targeting the creation of specialized projects for each region.

Through this project, Yeonsu-gu plans to become a regional autonomous cultural city where residents can voluntarily participate together by creating cultural hubs utilizing tradition, history, and geographical characteristics.

Accordingly, a dedicated team for the preliminary project will be formed to promote preliminary project operation management, establish a cultural city cooperation system, and formulate a comprehensive plan to build Yeonsu-gu’s unique cultural regional development model.

Next year, starting with a cultural city proclamation ceremony, a promotion committee will be formed, quarterly forums will be held, and cooperative networks such as the National Association of Regional Cultural Foundations and Yeonsu-gu Village Making Support Center will be established.

In particular, plans include researching ways to build an archive to systematically utilize cultural assets such as history and cultural arts that have urban cultural value, and establishing an art education strategic plan for the entire community including local society and schools.

After conducting the preliminary project for one year, Yeonsu-gu is scheduled to undergo a final evaluation at the end of next year to be designated as a legal cultural city. Once designated, it will carry out cultural city projects worth up to 20 billion KRW over five years, including national funding support.

District Mayor Ko Nam-seok stated, "Along with Yeonsu-gu’s lifelong learning city policy, we will make the district a city overflowing with culture, arts, and lifelong education in the daily lives of residents through the designation as a cultural city."

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