Will a Branch of the National Assembly Library Be Established in Gwangju?

Jeon Jin-Sook Meets with National Assembly Library Director Hwang Junggeun to Stress the Need
Accelerating Discussions to Address the "National Library Gap" in the Honam Region

Will a branch of the National Assembly Library be established in Gwangju? As the absence of a national library continues to create an information gap, discussions about attracting a branch are once again gaining momentum among both the central government and the local community.

According to political circles and other sources on November 14, Jeon Jin-Sook, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea representing Buk-gu, Gwangju, recently met with Hwang Junggeun, Director of the National Assembly Library, to officially raise the need for establishing a branch.

Assemblywoman Jin-Sook Jeon (right) is meeting with Hwang Junggeun, Director of the National Assembly Library, to discuss the issue of attracting a branch office in Gwangju. Photo by Assemblywoman Jin-Sook Jeon's Office

Assemblywoman Jeon pointed out that the Honam region is the only area in the country lacking a national library-level knowledge and information infrastructure, emphasizing, "A Gwangju branch of the National Assembly Library is necessary to bridge the regional gap in information access." Currently, the National Assembly Library operates a main branch in Seoul and a branch in Busan, and a branch in Sejong is also being pursued, but there is no branch at all in the Honam region. Other major national libraries, such as the National Library of Korea, the National Library of Sejong, the National Library for Children and Young Adults, the National Library for Persons with Disabilities, and the Court Library, are also concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area, Yeongnam, and the central region.

Last year, the National Assembly Library conducted a research project on "Strengthening the Role of the National Assembly Library for Building a National Knowledge Information System and Balanced Regional Development," which identified the need for a branch in the Honam region and evaluated Gwangju as the most suitable location. The government has included 150 million won in the 2026 budget proposal for a preliminary feasibility study for the branch, and the final location and scale will be determined based on the results of this study.

In the local community, the push to attract the branch gained full momentum with the launch of the promotion committee last March. The "National Assembly Library Gwangju Branch Attraction Promotion Committee" officially launched at an inaugural meeting held at the Gwangju City Council, with Professor Jang Woo-Kwon of Chonnam National University's Department of Library and Information Science serving as chair. About 250 citizens participated as founding members, and the committee is expanding public support through a campaign to collect 100,000 signatures, academic seminars, and information sessions.

The National Assembly Library Gwangju Branch Attraction Promotion Committee held an inaugural meeting at the Gwangju City Council on March 5 to strengthen their resolution for attracting the branch. Attendees held placards with the phrase "Wishing for Attraction" to urge the establishment of the branch. The promotion committee revealed a plan to develop the Gwangju branch as a "Honam Hub-type Legislative Support Library" with a total floor area of approximately 14,000 square meters and a project cost of 93.8 billion won, aiming to build it as an AI-based future-oriented knowledge platform. Provided by the National Assembly Library Gwangju Branch Attraction Promotion Committee

Assemblywoman Jeon stated, "We must begin true balanced development by attracting the Gwangju branch of the National Assembly Library," adding, "As a member of the National Assembly Steering Committee, I will ensure that the budget related to the branch is fully secured until the end."

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