What Is Behind Songpa-gu's Transformation into a City Breathing Culture and Arts?

Various cultural and artistic stages transform every corner of the region... Seo Gang-seok, District Mayor, shows exceptional capability and interest in culture and arts... Providing high-quality cultural performances once a month, founding Songpa District’s first public Songpa Theater Company... Linking the representative local festival ‘Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival’ with K-Culture, to be held at the end of September

Seok Sang-seok, Mayor of Songpa District

Recently, diverse cultural and artistic projects have been unfolding in Songpa-gu. Various locations throughout the district, including Seoul’s iconic Seokchon Lake, Seoul Playground, the Community Center, and the compensated buildings in Pungnap-dong, have been transformed into stages. The genres range widely from popular music to traditional Korean music, musicals, operas, and even visual art exhibitions. Most performances and exhibitions are either free or require only a small fee, making participation accessible and affordable. This has significantly lowered the barriers to enjoying culture and arts, allowing not only residents but also visitors to Songpa-gu to freely experience cultural activities. The district is truly transforming into a city where ‘culture and arts live and breathe in everyday life.’

At the center of this transformation is Seo Gang-seok, the District Mayor of Songpa-gu, who has a unique background. Mayor Seo is an administrative expert who passed the civil service exam and served in public office for 33 years. He has held positions such as Seoul’s New York Representative, Blue House Administrative Officer, Secretary to the Mayor of Seoul, Director of the Human Resources Development Institute, and Director of the Finance Bureau. On the other hand, he is also a poet who debuted in 2013. He is an author of four books, including a poetry collection with over 60 original poems, self-development books, and autobiographical novels. During his university years, he devoted more time to theater directing activities than his major, building his cultural and artistic capabilities. Mayor Seo emphasizes the ‘cultural and artistic sensitivity of leaders.’ In particular, he states, “The best leaders should not be merely functional leaders,” and “When a leader only possesses functionality, there can be limits in understanding the world people live in and humanity itself. Therefore, good leaders must have literary sensitivity and artistic sensibility.” He also said, “My personal experience as a poet and novelist gave me a perspective in administration that does not neglect anyone,” and “The reason why the 8th elected Songpa-gu administration focuses on ‘servant leadership’ also stems from this human-centered perspective.”

As part of this, Mayor Seo Gang-seok has focused on establishing a foundation where any resident can easily enjoy culture and arts.

One of Songpa-gu’s future visions is to become a ‘City of Culture, Arts, and Sports.’ In October last year, the district underwent an organizational restructuring, splitting the existing Culture and Sports Division into the Culture and Arts Division and the Sports Division, increasing manpower and budget investment in the cultural and artistic fields.

Since February, monthly cultural and artistic performances with residents have been ongoing. Starting with the popular Daehangno play ‘Bujangdeul’ in collaboration with the Songpa Cultural Foundation, the district has hosted operas, traditional Korean music concerts, and received great responses. In the second half of the year, various genres such as ballet gala concerts and classical performances will be presented to residents. At the end of August, the district will establish the ‘Public Songpa Theater Company,’ in which residents will directly participate, aiming to expand the base of local culture and arts. Members will be selected mainly from residents, and the company plans to create performance art content unique to Songpa-gu. The inaugural performance will be held in December.

Reevaluating the value of the district’s representative festival is also an important change. Last year, the ‘Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival,’ held on-site for the first time in three years, broke away from its previous identity focused solely on Hanseong Baekje culture and filled the event with high-quality cultural performances such as musicals and fashion shows, receiving great acclaim. This year, under the theme ‘The Power of Culture Crossing Rivers and Seas,’ the festival will take place from September 22 to 24 at the Peace Gate Plaza in Olympic Park. It plans to express the greatness of Korean culture, which started in Songpa, through traditional Korean music, K-Trot, K-Drama, games, movies, and POP, reflecting the flow of the times.

Opera Carmen performed last March

Additionally, Songpa-gu hosts solo performances exclusively for young artists at the Seokchon Lake Atelier and has established a ‘Youth Artist Center’ in the compensated buildings in Pungnap-dong, focusing on nurturing young artists who will lead local culture and arts. Furthermore, the district is simultaneously building infrastructure by remodeling the Community Center, constructing an art gallery, and improving the Seoul Playground facilities, providing activity spaces for local artists and increasing opportunities for residents to enjoy culture and arts.

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