Gumi Industrial Complex Embraces Culture and Rises Again... Youth Spaces Undergo Major Transformation

The Only Nationwide 'Industrial Complex with Culture' Pilot Project Launched

A Festival Creating Cultural Appeal through Time and Space

Gumi National Industrial Complex embraces culture.

Having led Korea's high-tech industry for half a century, the Gumi Industrial Complex has recently faced challenges such as aging facilities, a decrease in young workers, and a lack of cultural infrastructure, prompting the search for new solutions.

In response, the “Gumi Industrial Complex with Culture Pilot Project,” hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by Gumi City, Gumi Cultural Foundation, and Korea Industrial Complex Corporation, will be implemented exclusively in Gumi.

This pilot project was prepared in accordance with the “Plan for Creating Industrial Complexes Embracing Culture,” announced at the Economic Ministers’ Meeting (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport) on September 12. Its goal is to transform the Gumi Industrial Complex into a place where young people want to live and work.

The pilot project will run for two months from October 4, starting with the “Gumi Industrial Complex Festival,” until November 30, at the bonded warehouse area in Gongdan-dong (1 Gongdan-ro).

The bonded warehouse, once used for customs clearance support and logistics storage for import-export companies, will now be reborn as the “Bonded Cultural Festival Hall,” transforming into a vibrant cultural complex filled with youth and romance. Located in an area dense with worker dormitories and company housing, it is expected to become a convenient place for workers to enjoy cultural activities after work.

The “Gumi Industrial Complex Festival,” held at 7 p.m. on October 4, will feature various programs that resonate with the younger generation under the theme “Pride in Living and Working in Gumi Industrial Complex.” The opening ceremony will include performances by Kim Changwan Band and Bulgogi Disco Band, as well as a large-scale aerial group performance titled “Let’s Dance! People of the Industrial Complex,” featuring over 40 workers from the complex.

On October 5 and 6, under the theme “Empty and Fill,” visitors can experience a variety of cultural programs for free, including street art, Sandan Tech (EDM), media art, and an art playground. There will also be an invitational dinner for retired workers, industrial complex research, and archive exhibitions, providing meaningful opportunities to honor workers’ contributions and shed new light on their lives.

After the festival, every Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., “Sandan-Pub” and the media art space “Sandan-Beam” will operate in Bonded Warehouse Buildings A and B. Sandan-Pub will offer freshness to the younger generation and nostalgia to the older generation, while Sandan-Beam will showcase various digital art pieces, allowing visitors to experience the convergence of industry and art. In particular, Sandan-Pub is expected to offer attractions rivaling those of the trendy Seongsu-dong area in Seoul, and Building A, operated as an F&B space, will collaborate with local businesses to boost the local economy.

Mayor Kim Jangho stated, “We will do our utmost to rediscover the historical value of the Gumi Industrial Complex and utilize it as a cultural asset, so that it can develop into an attractive space where young people want to live and work. Through this pilot project, we aim to prove the potential of a new cultural industrial complex and continue the ‘Cultural Industrial Complex Promotion Project’ next year.”

For more details, please visit the Gumi Cultural Foundation website. Inquiries can be directed to the Gumi Cultural Foundation Cultural Industrial Complex TF Team.