Hwaseong's Nojak Hongsayong Literature Museum Designated as a Public Literature Museum in Gyeonggi Province

Priority Eligibility for National Funding Projects Secured
City to Host "Year-End Sunset Literature Festival" to Mark Designation

The Nojak Hongsayong Literature Museum, located in Seokwoo-dong, Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi Province, has been elevated to the status of a public literature museum.

On December 9, Hwaseong City announced that the Nojak Hongsayong Literature Museum has been designated as the third public literature museum in Gyeonggi Province.

Exterior view of the Nojak Hongsayong Literature Museum located in Seokwoo-dong, Hwaseong City, designated as the third public literature museum in Gyeonggi Province. Provided by Hwaseong City

The museum was established in March 2010 as a two-story building with a total floor area of 991 square meters to commemorate the artistic spirit of poet Nojak Hong Sayong, who was active during the Japanese colonial period. The museum is equipped with the Sanyuhwa Theater, Exhibition Halls 1 and 2, a special exhibition hall, and a small library.

The museum houses 113 registered items, including Nojak Hong Sayong's handwritten collection "Cheongsan Baegun" (1919), "Cheonggugagok" (1920), and photographs of Towolhoe activities, among others.

The museum met the registration requirements for public literature museums by possessing more than 100 registered items, having exhibition space of at least 100 square meters along with storage, office, research, and educational facilities, and being equipped with theft prevention, temperature, and humidity control systems.

The city expects that this designation will enhance its status as a cultural city and serve as an opportunity for the further development of the literature museum.

Public literature museums are granted priority eligibility to participate in national funding projects organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism or Gyeonggi Province, as well as in regional literature promotion projects. The city also anticipates that the network with other public cultural facilities in the province will be strengthened.

The museum is actively running commemorative projects to carry on and promote Nojak Hong Sayong's literary, theatrical, and lyricist activities. Every fall, it holds the "Nojak Literature Festival" and presents the Nojak Literature Award to poets who have made outstanding achievements in the literary field. Starting this year, a new "Regional Award" category has been established to discover and recognize local writers.

In 2020, the museum revived and has been publishing the literary magazine "Baekjo," which was first launched by Hong Sayong in 1922 and ran for three issues, resuming its publication as a comprehensive literary journal after more than 100 years.

In addition, the museum operates a variety of cultural and artistic programs, including the Nojak Hong Sayong Short Play Festival, support projects for citizen creative clubs, and Nojak Literary Lectures.

To commemorate its designation as a public literature museum, the city plans to hold the "2025 Year-End Sunset Literature Festival" at the end of the year. The event will feature local writers as speakers, poetry readings by poet Ahn Dohyun, actress Kang Sungyeon, and professional reciters, as well as performances by a classical guitar band.

Park Noyoung, head of the Culture and Arts Division of Hwaseong City, stated, "We will continue our efforts to honor Hong Sayong, a representative literary figure of Hwaseong, and to contribute to the development of local literature and culture."

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