The Once Eyesore Memory Spot, Uiryeong's 'Mirimtang', Revitalized... Selected for Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport New Deal Project

59 Billion KRW Invested, Operated by Resident-Led Cooperative

The old Mirim Bathhouse, which has been abandoned in the downtown area of Uiryeong-gun for over 30 years, will be demolished next month and reborn as a hub space for urban regeneration.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] The old Mirim Bathhouse, long abandoned in the downtown area of Uiryeong-gun, Gyeongnam, is disappearing into history.

Uiryeong-gun recently completed compensation payments to the land and obstruction owners of the Mirim Bathhouse site and will begin demolishing the building next month.

The Mirim Bathhouse building, which was no longer in operation and considered a dangerous structure in the downtown area, was selected last December as a recognized project in the Uiryeong Jungdong District under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s Urban Regeneration New Deal project, and is set to be reborn as an urban regeneration hub space.

The urban regeneration hub space, equipped with a public parking lot, will have a project budget of 5.9 billion KRW. On the first floor, Mirim Laundry, a sports facility, and an unmanned caf? will be established; the second floor will house a themed library; and the third floor will feature an interaction space with education experience program rooms and community rooms.

The county will start the project in earnest by preparing an operation and management plan and specifying the facilities to be built in the building, beginning with this demolition.

This year, a dedicated organization for urban regeneration has been newly established to support the decision-making process for urban regeneration projects, including the Jungdong District recognized project.

The newly constructed building will be operated and managed in the form of a cooperative, where residents, not the government, will take the lead and participate directly.

The provisional Jungbon Cooperative will have departments for management support, education support, and community vitality, operating laundry services, an unmanned caf?, and a gym. The profits generated will be returned to the local community, such as village communities.

Jeong Chang-guk, the head of Jungbon Village who has lived there for over 50 years, said, “The Mirim Bathhouse site was a nostalgic place with a bathhouse, karaoke, and inn, frequently visited not only by Uiryeong residents but also by outsiders. It was painful to see it abandoned and unsightly for a long time, so it’s really great that it’s being renewed.”

Oh Tae-wan, the county governor, said, “Last year, Uiryeong-gun ranked first in residential environment satisfaction in the Gyeongnam social survey, and the rebirth of Mirim Bathhouse will be the finishing touch to the residents’ satisfaction with their living environment. We will carefully oversee the project from start to finish to transform it into a premium space for the residents.”

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