Mayor Lee Yong-seop: "Diversifying Distribution Channels for Craftworks... Securing Competitiveness"

Listening to Difficulties in Visiting Workshops in Yangnim-dong Craft Specialty Street

On the morning of the 24th, Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, visited the Yangnim-dong Craft Specialty Street in Nam-gu to encourage artisans struggling due to COVID-19. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, visited Yangnim-dong Craft Specialty Street on the 24th to listen to the difficulties faced as visitors sharply declined due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

This on-site visit was arranged as the third schedule of the ‘Special Cultural and Arts Week’ to hear the voices of cultural artists struggling due to COVID-19 and to prepare policy solutions.

Yangnim-dong is a treasure trove of modern historical culture where Christian missionary cultural resources and modern and contemporary architecture exist, and cultural artists such as Kim Hyun-seung and Jeong Yul-seong have emerged. However, it became a slum as vacant houses increased due to urban hollowing.

To prevent this, village residents voluntarily decorated the alleys using discarded materials, attracting the attention of younger generations and transforming it into a ‘junk art’ sanctuary.

In particular, since January 2017 until June 2020, Gwangju City invested 4 billion KRW from national and city funds to remodel about 20 traditional houses and create workshops, experience centers, and exhibition sales spaces, newly renovating it as a craft specialty street.

Currently, 14 workshops specializing in ceramics, textiles, metals, and more are located in the craft specialty street, but due to the impact of COVID-19, visitors have drastically decreased, putting the livelihoods of artisans at risk.

On this day, Mayor Lee visited workshops producing and selling textiles, ceramics, metals, woodworking, etc., in sequence, listened to the situations of artisans struggling to maintain their workshops due to program cancellations following government quarantine guidelines, and discussed their suggestions.

The artisans requested ▲ extension of city tour bus and Penguin Village Craft Specialty Street stop times ▲ reduction of workshop rent ▲ purchase of craft products by Gwangju City, autonomous districts, and public institutions ▲ support for decorating the craft street fences.

Mayor Lee Yong-seop said, “Penguin Village in Yangnim-dong is regarded as a successful case of urban regeneration that has become a tourist destination transcending generations by combining the retro sensibility of the alleys with policies to foster the craft industry,” and added, “We will actively review the suggestions you have made, such as diversifying online and offline distribution channels for craft products to secure competitiveness.”

Meanwhile, on the 25th, Mayor Lee will continue his on-site communication efforts by holding a full meeting of the Cultural Arts Future Committee at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center, discussing eight core agendas including expanding art creation spaces and constructing a new Biennale exhibition hall with cultural artists from four fields: visual arts, humanities history, performing arts, and content.

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