Yongin Central Library Transforms After 33 Years... Reborn as an Emotional Complex Cultural Space

Yongin City Officially Reopens Central Library After Remodeling
Mayor Lee Sangil: "We Will Continue to Invest Generously in Yongin's Passion for Reading"

Yongin Central Library (hereinafter referred to as the Central Library) in Yongin Special City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Sangil) held a reopening ceremony on the 26th and welcomed citizens with a new look.

Mayor Lee Sangil, local residents, and related officials attended the event held in the audiovisual room on the second floor of the Children's Library at the Central Library that day, celebrating the reopening of the Central Library after a year-long renovation.

Since its opening in 1993 as the city's first public library, the Central Library has played a central role in library policy for 33 years as the hub and representative library of Yongin.

Mayor Lee stated, "We boldly invested a budget of 10.3 billion won, including about 4.2 billion won in municipal funds, because the enthusiasm of Yongin citizens for using the library is truly remarkable." He added, "The reading rate of Yongin citizens is 54%, which is higher than the national average of 43%, and Suji Library is ranked first nationwide in terms of the number of books borrowed. To meet this passion for reading, the city will continue to invest in the future."

Starting in March last year, the city began remodeling, and after about a year of construction, enhanced the building's eco-friendliness with insulation and high-efficiency equipment.

In addition, the city focused on strengthening safety through structural reinforcement, while transforming the library into an emotional and complex space where both books and people can stay.

Yongin Central Library has been reborn as a place where citizens want to stay, by adding new spaces such as ‘Chaeknaeeum’ (Book Scent), the indoor garden ‘Library Yard’, a youth zone, and a digital zone.

In particular, to spark children's curiosity about books and deliver content effectively, the Children's Library introduced the nation's first AI-based digital story gallery.