Mapo-gu "Uninterrupted Operation of Mapo Publishing Culture Promotion Center"

Mapo-gu refutes claims by some publishers about neglect in the publishing industry, stating "This is not true. These are exaggerated claims by some publishers."

Announced plans to continue operating the Mapo Publishing Culture Promotion Center without interruption to support publishing culture, both now and in the future

Mapo-gu (Mayor Park Kang-su) once again rebutted the claims of neglect in the publishing industry made by some publishers, stating, "This is not true. These are exaggerated claims by some publishers."

The district stated, "We have officially and publicly acknowledged several times, through official forums and the media, the need for publishing and design content in the Hongdae area and the importance of nurturing it as a cultural asset of the Mapo region. We plan to continue operating the Mapo Publishing Culture Promotion Center without interruption to support publishing culture, both now and in the future."

Currently, out of the total 52 resident companies, 22 are first-term residents whose three-year contracts have expired according to related ordinances, resulting in contract terminations. Meanwhile, 16 companies of the third term are properly residing and using the Mapo Publishing Culture Promotion Center, the district explained.

The district explained that the Mapo Publishing Culture Promotion Center was established by Mapo Aekyung Town Co., Ltd., which, following the construction of the Hongdae Entrance Station complex, provided a public-use right (for 30 years after completion) of one public office building to Seoul City and Mapo-gu as part of its public contribution plan. The facility is used by the district to meet administrative demands in response to the changing social environment and to align with district policies.

Additionally, the district stated that the annual budget required to operate the Mapo Publishing Culture Promotion Center exceeds 1 billion KRW, and since there is no support from national or city funds, the entire budget is covered solely by Mapo-gu. Therefore, careful consideration is needed regarding the full financial burden borne by Mapo-gu, a basic local government with limited budget, in fostering the broad publishing industry.

The district noted, "Although the facility is fully operated with Mapo-gu’s budget, because residents are recruited nationwide, Mapo-gu publishers constitute only a minority of the total residents. Despite the Mapo Publishing Culture Promotion Center being located in Hongdae, a transportation and cultural hub, 40% of the office space on the second floor remains vacant, presenting significant issues in terms of efficient space utilization."

The second-floor workplace of the Mapo Publishing Culture Promotion Center has been available on a first-come, first-served basis to anyone regardless of industry since its initial opening.

They rebutted, questioning whether it is appropriate for the district mayor to overlook the inefficient use of space and the alienation of Mapo-gu publishers and residents, who should be the actual beneficiaries of the district’s budget at the Mapo Publishing Culture Promotion Center.

Accordingly, Mapo-gu emphasized that as a basic local government focused on establishing and implementing policies for the welfare and safety of all Mapo residents, it must reasonably consider the interests of all residents and pursue efficient and effective policies within a limited budget.

Mapo-gu stated that the Mapo Publishing Culture Promotion Center will encompass various industries including publishing, and to allow more residents to benefit, the second and third floors of the center will be spatially separated but functionally linked to create synergy effects.

The largely vacant second floor will be utilized as a youth startup support center related to new media such as broadcasting, video, photography, media, and electronic publishing. The third floor will continue to operate as the Mapo Publishing Culture Promotion Center focused on discovering and fostering publishing culture, aiming to maximize the synergistic effects between job creation projects and publishing projects.

Furthermore, the recruitment of resident companies for the Publishing Culture Promotion Center will prioritize Mapo-gu residents as originally planned. If vacancies remain after the priority recruitment, the recruitment scope will be expanded to include additional applicants.

Regarding the youth startup support center, the Mapo Youth Job Project, a public welfare project for young people facing employment difficulties, had been operated in a separate space but had to find a new location due to the scheduled demolition of the previous building, the district explained.

Since the youth job project is a key policy with a public interest purpose, 17 seats in the idle space on the second-floor workplace of the Mapo Publishing Culture Promotion Center are being temporarily provided.

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