Seongnam Mulbit Garden Selected as Outstanding Administrative Case... Transformed from Unwanted Facility to Cultural Landmark

Seongnam City Wins Excellence Award for "Mulbit Garden" Administrative Case
Transformation of Gumi-dong Sewage Plant Site After 28 Years of Neglect

Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province announced on May 14 that it received the Excellence Award for the creation of Seongnam Mulbit Garden in Gumi-dong at the "Outstanding Administration and Policy Case Selection Competition" hosted by the Korea Public Policy Evaluation Association.

Seongnam City Newspaper and the Korea Public Policy Evaluation Association hosted the 'Excellent Administration and Policy Case Competition,' where the Gumi-dong Seongnam Mulbit Garden creation case won the Excellence Award. Provided by Seongnam City

This competition has been held since 2013, targeting central government agencies as well as metropolitan and local governments, in order to discover and promote outstanding policies and administrative cases that enhance the competitiveness of the public sector. This year, 167 organizations participated.

The award-winning case, Seongnam Mulbit Garden, is a project that transformed the site of the old Gumi-dong sewage treatment plant, which had been left abandoned for 28 years (29,041 square meters), into a cultural and recreational space for citizens.

The old sewage treatment plant on the site was constructed by Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH), with construction starting in 1994 and completed in 1997. However, its operation was halted during the test run phase due to opposition from local residents, leading to prolonged abandonment. Subsequently, as the facility came to be seen as an undesirable site, there were continuous calls for its demolition.

In response, Seongnam City opened a walking trail on the site in June last year, and in September of the same year, opened a music hall by remodeling the former sewage inflow pump building.

The music hall consists of one basement floor and one ground floor, with a total floor area of 881 square meters, and includes a cafe, a rehearsal room, and an instrument storage room. It is now used as a cultural and arts space hosting planned performances and concerts every week.

Seongnam Mulbit Garden is recognized as an example of urban regeneration that preserves the historical value of industrial facilities while transforming them into citizen-friendly spaces.

A Seongnam City official stated, "This award is especially meaningful because it acknowledges the policy achievement of converting a long-neglected, undesirable facility into a cultural and recreational space for citizens. We will continue to pursue urban space policies in partnership with our citizens."

Seongnam Mulbit Garden Music Hall Exterior. Provided by Seongnam City

The award ceremony was held at 2 p.m. that day in Meeting Room 2 of the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul, with a representative public official from the relevant Seongnam City department attending to receive the Excellence Award.

Seongnam City has now achieved four consecutive years of awards: the grand prize in 2023 (for building 3D data of underground facilities using drones), the Excellence Award in 2024 (for volume-based waste bags with handles), the Excellence and Encouragement Awards in 2025 (for the "Hope On Villa" and "Solomon's Choice" projects), and this year's award as well.

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