Publication of 'Gwanak Encyclopedia' Covering 1000 Years of History

The History of Gwanak, Beginning with National Hero General Gang Gam-chan, and the Compilation of Humanities and Natural Resources

Gwanak-gu’s 50th Anniversary Historical Records. Distributed to Major Libraries and Schools in the District

Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) has published the Gwanak Encyclopedia, compiling the history, humanities, facilities, and natural resources of Gwanak to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the district’s establishment.

The Gwanak Encyclopedia was first published in 2015 to inform residents about the district’s history and traditions and to provide educational materials. Recently, with changes such as the opening of the Sillim Line, the popularization of Byeolbitnaerimcheon Stream and Sharosugil, and the creation of Gwanak S Valley, the district faithfully reflected these developments and reissued the encyclopedia after eight years to continue the historical record.

The republished Gwanak Encyclopedia contains diverse historical figures and natural resources, organized into four chapters: ▲Chapter 1 History and Overview of Gwanak ▲Chapter 2 Humanities Resources ▲Chapter 3 Facility Resources ▲Chapter 4 Natural Environment, comprising 536 pages.

Regarding people, it begins with the story of General Gang Gam-chan, a famous Goryeo military commander born in Gwanak, followed by the origin of Nangok-dong linked to the Joseon Dynasty scholar ‘Nangok Gangseo,’ Yoon Jang-seop, director of Horim Museum and one of Korea’s top three cultural asset collectors, and Cho Soon, the first mayor of Seoul. It also includes a record discovered that Baekbeom Kim Gu stayed in Seungbangtteul, Namhyeon-dong during the independence movement.

As for cultural resources, it contains information on local festivals including the representative ‘Gwanak Gang Gam-chan Festival,’ newly established cultural assets such as Gwanak Art Hall, the district’s only multi-purpose professional performance hall, and the Gwancheon-ro cultural platform S1472.

With the recent increase in the youth population, newly established facility resources are also included. Facilities for youth such as Gwanak Youth Center and Sillim-dong Three-Room, as well as youth startup support centers like Sillim and Nakseong Venture Startup Centers and ‘Startup HERO-3,’ are comprehensively covered along with other key facilities of Gwanak-gu.

In particular, the district carefully documented the origins of old place names and neighborhood stories from the 1960s to 1980s through interviews with native residents and Jin Jin-hyung, the first elected mayor and director of Gwanak Cultural Center, and enhanced the encyclopedia’s quality through consultations with experts in history, culture, and publishing.

The district distributed the Gwanak Encyclopedia to libraries, schools, and major institutions within the district and posted it as an e-book on the Gwanak-gu Office website (Category Information → Administrative Information → District Information → Administrative Publications) for easy public access.

Jung Sung-guk, Director of the Clean City Bureau, who also authored the encyclopedia in 2015, expressed gratitude, saying, “With the help of experts, local residents, and the Urban Planning Division, the Gwanak Encyclopedia was completed after about a year of effort.”

Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “I hope the ‘Gwanak Encyclopedia,’ published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Gwanak-gu’s establishment, will be widely utilized,” and added, “I wish the encyclopedia will serve as a nourishing source contributing to the development of Gwanak as a historic and cultural city, the city of Gang Gam-chan.”

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