Seongbuk Modern Literature Museum and Seongbuk History and Culture Park Groundbreaking Ceremony

[Seoul District News] Seongbuk-gu to Hold Groundbreaking Ceremony for Seongbuk History and Culture Park Featuring Modern and Contemporary Literature; Dongdaemun-gu Recruiting 40 Local Clothing Manufacturers for Workplace Improvement Project; Gwangjin-gu Operating Achasan History and Culture Interpretation Project; Gangdong-gu Providing Up to 1 Million KRW Additional Subsidy for New Electric and Hydrogen Vehicle Purchases; Cheongun Literature Library's 'I am Also a Book Curator' Program for Seniors...

Aerial View of Seongbuk Modern Literature Museum

Seongbuk History and Culture Park Perspective View

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) held a groundbreaking ceremony on the 30th for the Seongbuk Modern Literature Museum and Seongbuk Historical and Cultural Park in Seongbuk-dong, Seongbuk-gu, officially starting the construction of the facilities.

Seongbuk-dong is well known as the living place and the setting in the works of representative modern and contemporary Korean writers such as Han Yong-un, Lee Tae-jun, Yeom Sang-seop, Kim Kwang-seop, and Jo Ji-hoon.

Seongbuk-gu plans to utilize this locational symbolism to systematically collect, manage, and exhibit local cultural and historical materials by building a museum, thereby revitalizing the exploration of Seongbuk-dong’s history, culture, and arts.

The Seongbuk Modern Literature Museum and Seongbuk Historical and Cultural Park will be located on a 2,844㎡ site at 24 Seongbuk-ro 21-gil. Various historical and cultural resources of Seongbuk-dong, such as Hanyangdoseong (Seoul City Wall), Simujang, Kansong Art Museum, and Seonjam Museum, are concentrated within about 1 km of the project site. A Seongbuk-gu official said, “The Seongbuk Modern Literature Museum and Seongbuk Historical and Cultural Park are expected to serve as a hub linking and utilizing cultural assets and facilities representing Seongbuk-dong, strengthening the regional identity of the historical and cultural city of Seongbuk and further enhancing residents’ opportunities to enjoy culture.”

The Seongbuk Modern Literature Museum is planned to open in the first half of 2023, constructed as a two-story building above ground with one basement floor, covering a total floor area of 450㎡. Architectural considerations were made to preserve the scenic beauty adjacent to Hanyangdoseong and to avoid disrupting the residential environment of Seongbuk-dong.

The basement floor 1 will be directly connected to Seongbuk-ro 21-gil, creating a community activity space that also serves as a reading room for materials, functioning as a cultural rest area and program space for local residents and visitors. The first floor above ground will operate a permanent exhibition hall, taking advantage of the side entrance connected to Hanyangdoseong-gil, and will include a storage room to facilitate the movement of artifacts in and out. The second floor will house offices and a focused planning exhibition hall. Two-way elevators will be installed in the outdoor parking lot to ensure convenience for users, including those with disabilities, and to facilitate the loading and unloading of exhibition artifacts.

The Seongbuk Historical and Cultural Park secured a view of the fortress wall by demolishing four houses within the site and connecting it to the Seongbuk-dong Rest Area. It will be developed as a resting space with walking trails, a small outdoor performance stage, and exercise equipment.

Mayor Lee Seung-ro said, “Seongbuk-dong is called an open-air museum as it contains the activities and life traces of cultural and artistic figures representing modern and contemporary Korea. However, there was a lack of facilities that play a central role in linking and comprehensively promoting the scattered resources in Seongbuk-dong. The Seongbuk Modern Literature Museum and Seongbuk Historical and Cultural Park will fully perform that role, further enhancing the image of Seongbuk as a historical and cultural city.”

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Seon-gap) will operate the ‘Achasan Historical and Cultural Interpretation Project’ starting in April to enhance understanding of the historical and cultural value of Achasan.

This project is designed to provide local residents and tourists visiting Achasan with historical and cultural tours and interpretation programs, offering opportunities for living history experiences and on-site education. It consists of a ‘Historical and Cultural Tour’ where participants visit major relics with professional guides and a ‘Historical and Cultural Classroom’ where participants can experience Achasan artifacts.

The ‘Historical and Cultural Tour’ follows major relics hidden throughout Achasan, such as Achasan Fortress, Goguryeo Pavilion, and the Achasan fortification clusters, allowing participants to explore the fascinating history of Achasan with expert guides.

During the tour, participants will engage in ‘plogging’ (picking up litter while jogging) to help protect Achasan’s environment. At the end of the program, participants can return the collected trash to the guide and receive a small souvenir. However, the course may change depending on on-site conditions.

Residents wishing to participate can make advance reservations on the Gwangjin-gu Office website, and participation is free of charge.

Another program of the Achasan Historical and Cultural Interpretation Project, the ‘Historical and Cultural Classroom,’ provides explanations about Achasan’s relics and artifacts to visitors of the Achasan Historical and Cultural Promotion Center.

The Achasan Historical and Cultural Promotion Center exhibits some of Achasan’s artifacts, including rubbings of the Jungwon Goguryeo Stele, pottery, and roof tiles. It also offers various learning contents such as videos about Achasan’s stories and images related to Goguryeo and ancient Korean history.

Starting in April, a new ‘Virtual Fitting Experience Zone’ will be established, digitizing Three Kingdoms period costumes for virtual try-on. Participants can virtually wear Goguryeo general uniforms, Goguryeo noble attire, and the clothing of the Goguryeo Geumgwan Gaya king and queen through the virtual fitting machine, experiencing new historical and cultural content at the Achasan Historical and Cultural Promotion Center.

The ‘Historical and Cultural Classroom’ was previously closed on Mondays but will now operate daily without holidays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Even during last year’s reduced operation due to COVID-19, about 4,000 tourists participated, demonstrating its role as a guide for Achasan visitors.

This year, with the addition of the ‘Virtual Fitting Experience Zone,’ the establishment of a reservation system for the ‘Historical and Cultural Tour,’ and the elimination of closure days for the ‘Historical and Cultural Classroom,’ the project plans to offer richer historical and cultural content and expand participation opportunities for residents and visitors.

Mayor Kim Seon-gap of Gwangjin-gu said, “We are pleased to resume the Achasan cultural interpretation project, which was temporarily suspended during the winter season. We will do our best to widely share the stories and unique historical value of Achasan, a representative tourist resource of the district.”

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) is recruiting 40 local fashion sewing industry companies to participate in the ‘2022 Garment Manufacturing Workplace Environment Improvement Project’ by April 1 to improve working conditions.

The district announced that it aims to enhance the work efficiency and safety of workers in the garment sewing industry, a representative manufacturing sector in the area, by improving their working environment through the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s public project ‘2022 Garment Manufacturing Workplace Environment Improvement Project.’

This project will select 40 small business garment sewing companies registered in the region with fewer than 10 regular employees. Priority support will be given for essential safety equipment such as fire extinguishers, fire detectors, leakage breakers, and wiring boxes, along with equipment support to improve working conditions and work efficiency.

Companies with dust, lighting, noise, and electrical safety levels below average standards will be prioritized first. Those operating in underground or semi-basement workshops with poor ventilation and constant exposure to harmful substances like mold will be second priority, and companies with long business tenure at the current site will be third priority.

Companies wishing to apply should visit the Dongdaemun-gu Fashion Sewing Support Center (19 Dapsimni-ro 38-gil, Building A, 1st floor) in person by April 1 to submit their applications. The final supported companies will be selected by the end of May through a district survey and subsidy review committee. The support fund covers 80% of the total construction cost per company, up to a maximum of 8 million KRW.

Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol of Dongdaemun-gu said, “This project is expected to improve the working environment of garment sewing companies in the area, enhancing workers’ health and work efficiency. We will do our best to continue various supports for the development of the garment sewing industry, which accounts for 57.7% of the local manufacturing sector.”

Over the past three years, the district has conducted workplace environment improvement projects for 112 garment sewing companies: 54 companies (about 300 million KRW) in 2019, 25 companies (about 220 million KRW) in 2020, and 33 companies (about 300 million KRW) in 2021.

Additionally, last August, the district opened a shared foundation room with a smart process system to ease the sewing process burden on small garment sewing companies, further supporting the development of the local garment sewing industry.

Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon) will continue to provide additional district subsidies for purchasing eco-friendly vehicles this year, following last year. Applications have been accepted since March 21.

To contribute to the popularization of eco-friendly vehicles, the district invested 200 million KRW of district funds last year to provide additional subsidies for 175 electric and hydrogen passenger vehicles, in addition to national and city subsidies.

This year, the district will again provide an additional 100 million KRW in subsidies for eco-friendly vehicle purchases. The support scale includes 20 ultra-small electric passenger and cargo vehicles at 500,000 KRW each, and 90 general electric passenger and cargo vehicles and hydrogen passenger vehicles at 1 million KRW each, totaling 110 vehicles.

Including national and city subsidies, electric passenger vehicles can receive up to 10 million KRW, electric cargo vehicles up to 26.47 million KRW, and hydrogen passenger vehicles up to 33.5 million KRW.

Eligible vehicle models include 53 types from 16 manufacturers for electric passenger vehicles, 27 types from 15 manufacturers for electric cargo vehicles, and 1 type from 1 manufacturer for hydrogen passenger vehicles, which can be checked on the Ministry of Environment’s Low Emission Vehicle Integrated Website. However, district subsidies for electric passenger vehicles are only available for mid- to low-priced vehicles under 55 million KRW, and applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis within the 100 million KRW limit.

Applicants must be individuals aged 18 or older or sole proprietors residing in Gangdong-gu for at least 180 days before the application date. Priority is given to vulnerable groups (persons with disabilities, veterans, independence activists, etc.) and multi-child families (three or more children under 18).

Residents wishing to receive additional district subsidies should visit the Gangdong-gu Office Green Energy Division with the required documents. Detailed information on required documents can be found in the notices/announcements section of the Gangdong-gu Office website.

Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon of Gangdong-gu said, “In line with Seoul’s comprehensive climate change response plan (2022?2026) and the goal of realizing a ‘10% electric vehicle era,’ we will strengthen efforts to expand the supply of electric vehicles and take the lead in achieving carbon neutrality.”

Jongno-gu is offering various reading programs tailored to different age groups at libraries throughout the district.

First, at Cheongun Literature Library, a life-cycle program titled ‘I am also a Book Curator’ will be held from April 1 to June 24.

The lectures will be held in the following order: ‘Picture Book Reading for Seniors’ from April 1 to April 22, ‘Literacy to Enhance Reading Ability’ from May 6 to May 27, and ‘Literary Therapy to Heal the Mind’ from June 3 to June 24.

Each lecture consists of four sessions and will be conducted every Friday at 10:30 a.m., divided into online lectures via Zoom to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and in-person lectures on site.

A total of 60 adults, 20 per lecture, will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. However, the second lecture, ‘Literacy to Enhance Reading Ability,’ is targeted at parents of elementary school students. Those interested can apply via the Jongno Cultural Foundation website or by phone at Cheongun Literature Library.

Additionally, the Children and Youth National Studies Library is recruiting the first group of the youth reading club ‘DreamBooks’ until the 31st. Main activities include recording audiobooks and creating reading activity sheets for local children.

Participants will engage in activities on the first Saturday of each month from 2 to 4 p.m. until December this year and can receive volunteer hours. They will also have the opportunity to meet authors of books they select.

The recruitment target is 10 high school students residing in Jongno-gu. Applications can be submitted via the QR code on the poster or through the Children and Youth National Studies Library.

A district official said, “We will continue to prepare various reading culture programs for all life stages to support residents’ reading activities so that everyone can equally enjoy the joy of reading.”

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