Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul's First 'Cultural City' Designation... 20 Billion KRW Support Over 5 Years

Following the 2020 Preliminary Cultural City Approval, Final Designation as a 'Cultural City'...The Only One in Seoul...Up to 20 Billion KRW Budget Support Including 10 Billion KRW National Funding for 5 Years Starting 2022

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Chae Hyun-il) announced on the 23rd that it has been finally designated as a cultural city by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, becoming the first autonomous district in Seoul to receive this designation.

When designated as a cultural city, Yeongdeungpo-gu will receive administrative support for the next five years along with a budget of up to 20 billion KRW, including 10 billion KRW in national funds. It will receive comprehensive support for discovering and utilizing cultural resources with regional characteristics and creating a unique cultural environment.

Since 2018, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has designated local governments with high potential for regional cultural development under the Regional Culture Promotion Act, providing administrative and financial support to improve residents' cultural quality of life and promote sustainable regional development.

For the third round of cultural city designation applications, 41 local governments nationwide submitted plans, demonstrating enthusiastic interest and participation in creating cultural cities.

Yeongdeungpo-gu was approved as a preliminary cultural city in 2020, the first autonomous district in Seoul among the 41 local governments, and after a year of operating preliminary cultural city projects and securing a foundation for promotion, it passed meticulous reviews including written evaluations and on-site inspections by the Cultural City Deliberation Committee, making it onto the final list of six designated cultural cities.

Under the vision of “Yeongdeungpo, a neighborhood of friendship and hospitality, a diverse cultural production city,” Yeongdeungpo-gu has strived to leap and grow into a creative commons where the stories of 400,000 residents breathe life. It has also continuously promoted 21 categories of preliminary cultural city projects, sharing and developing core values such as “cultural governance,” “cultural sharing,” “cultural diversity,” and “ecological culture.”

In particular, based on urban cultural resources such as Mullae Creative Village and Dorimcheon-Anyangcheon-Yeouiseotgang, the potential of cultural public forums was highly evaluated for collaboratively addressing urban issues in five living zones (Yangpyeong-Dangsan Zone, Yeoui Zone, Yeongdeungpo-Mullae Zone, Singil Zone, Daerim Zone) with residents, seeking development plans through cooperation and communication.

Going forward, the district plans to focus on ▲a shared cooperative culture where citizens solve urban problems through friendship and cooperation ▲intercultural respect for local social agendas and diverse lifestyles ▲intercity intercultural collaboration on urban issues ▲an art-safe culture that protects artists’ creative environments and creates creative commons ▲new growth engines for future survival through art×technology convergence culture ▲and urban waterfront culture projects that connect people, villages, and waterfronts through culture to create public spaces.

Additionally, through the advancement of cultural city governance systems such as the Cultural City Execution Team, Cultural Public Forums, Cultural City Center, and Cultural City Committee, Yeongdeungpo-gu plans to diversify resident participation and decision-making structures, consolidating ideas and capabilities from a wider range of stakeholders to realize “Yeongdeungpo, a neighborhood of friendship and hospitality, a diverse cultural production city.”

Chae Hyun-il, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, stated, “This designation as a cultural city is a meaningful achievement that certifies Yeongdeungpo’s artistic and cultural charm and potential. As a financial and political hub where multicultural coexistence flourishes, and with abundant waterfront resources connecting Anyangcheon, Dorimcheon, and Yeouido Saetgang, as well as cultural and artistic talents, we will do our best to maximize Yeongdeungpo’s unique strengths and create a ‘refined cultural city Yeongdeungpo.’”

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