Naju-si 'Yeonggang-dong Eoullim Center' Opens... Full-Scale Operation Begins

[Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong] On the 30th, Naju City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Kang In-gyu) announced that it held the opening ceremony of the ‘Yeonggang-dong Eoullim Center,’ built as part of the Yeonggang-dong Urban Regeneration New Deal Project, and officially began its operation.

About 50 people attended the opening ceremony, including Mayor Kang In-gyu, City Council Chairman Kim Young-deok, local provincial and city council members, heads of Yeonggang-dong institutions and social organizations, and residents.

The event proceeded in the order of a pre-ceremony performance, commemorative and congratulatory speeches, ribbon-cutting ceremony, and center tour.

The Yeonggang-dong Urban Regeneration Project has been promoting a station area revitalization project centered on the old Yeongsanpo Station for four years since 2017 under the slogan “The Story of Station Town Urban Regeneration Created Together.”

With a total project cost of 8.3 billion KRW, including 5 billion KRW in national funds, projects such as “Green Riverside Village Maintenance” (residential environment improvement), “Safe and Secure Alleyways,” “Station Town Cultural Rest Area,” and the establishment of the “Eoullim Center” were carried out, focusing on Yeonggang-dong districts 3 and 4.

The Eoullim Center, which began construction in December 2019 with an investment of 3.5 billion KRW, was completed in January on a site at 273-1 Yeongsanpo-ro, with a total floor area of 996.53㎡ and two above-ground floors.

The first floor of the building houses a “shared workshop and sales space” for resident income generation projects such as senior job programs, the “Urban Regeneration Support Center” relocated from the old Central Church, and the office of the “Village Management Social Cooperative,” which is currently undergoing establishment approval procedures.

The second floor includes care, education, and leisure spaces for children, adolescents, and the elderly; a 78-pyeong (approximately 258㎡) multipurpose room that can be used as a cultural performance hall or auditorium; and a village broadcasting station that serves as a communication channel among residents.

Currently, the center operates the “Senior Seed Community Joint Workshop,” a small job project linked with the Naju Senior Club since last month.

Mayor Kang In-gyu said, “We will actively support the Yeonggang-dong Eoullim Center to establish itself as a cultural and welfare hub that enhances communication among residents and improves quality of life. To promote sustainable urban regeneration led by residents, we will establish a village management social cooperative and do our best to revitalize the old downtown and achieve balanced regional development.”

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