Jinju City and Uiryeong County Unite in Saying "Lee Kun-hee Art Museum Should Not Be Built in the Seoul Metropolitan Area"

Protect Cultural Decentralization and Cultural Democracy through Southern Region Development!

On the 31st, Jo Gyu-il (left), mayor of Jinju, and Oh Tae-wan, mayor of Uiryeong County, held a press conference opposing the construction of the 'Lee Kun-hee Art Museum' in the Seoul metropolitan area at the briefing room of Uiryeong County Office, Gyeongnam.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Jinju City and Uiryeong County in Gyeongnam held a joint press conference on the 31st at the Uiryeong County Office meeting room, opposing the construction of the Lee Kun-hee Art Museum in the Seoul metropolitan area and advocating for the museum's establishment in the southern region.

Uiryeong is the birthplace of Samsung founder Lee Byung-chul and the area where Lee Kun-hee spent his childhood. Jinju is home to the former Jisoo Elementary School, the alma mater of Lee Kun-hee.

For these reasons, Jinju City and Uiryeong County each entered the competition to host the Lee Kun-hee Art Museum, but recently agreed to respond jointly following Minister Hwang Hee of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's remarks suggesting construction in the metropolitan area.

Jinju Mayor Jo Gyu-il and Uiryeong County Governor Oh Tae-wan, in a joint statement, demanded the government to “withdraw the remarks about building the Lee Kun-hee Art Museum in the metropolitan area based solely on beneficiary numbers and accessibility, and instead establish the museum in the southern region to create a cultural space that drives balanced national development.”

They also emphasized that “establishing the Lee Kun-hee Art Museum in the southern region is the realization of cultural democracy through cultural decentralization, expanding the public’s cultural enjoyment and advancing the nation as a cultural state.”

Mayor Jo stated, “Although the government has made various efforts such as establishing mid- to long-term plans for the promotion of museums and art galleries, the concentration in the metropolitan area still continues, leaving local areas struggling with cultural poverty due to a lack of museums and content. The recent government remarks about building the Lee Kun-hee Art Museum in the metropolitan area directly contradict the 21st-century national development strategy that can realize cultural democracy through cultural decentralization.”

Governor Oh expressed hope, saying, “If the Lee Kun-hee Art Museum is built in the southern region, the insufficient cultural and artistic infrastructure will be expanded, realizing cultural decentralization, and the local economy, which has been depressed, will be greatly revitalized through the expansion of tourism infrastructure.”

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