Why Daejeon's Cultural Infrastructure Needs a Revamp Before the Local Elections?

Daejeon's arts community is pushing long-standing concerns onto the campaign agenda and voicing a surge of demands ahead of the June 3 local elections.

Issues that have remained unresolved for years — from creating a municipal theatre company to expanding performance and exhibition spaces and increasing support for young artists — are resurfacing.

Local theatre professionals point to the fact that only Daejeon and Ulsan lack municipal theatre troupes as a significant cultural infrastructure gap. A municipal troupe provides stable public funding and a reliable system for producing and staging work, which can expand opportunities for local actors, directors and production crews.

Daejeon debated establishing a municipal troupe during the seventh elected mayor's term, and the need was raised again in the eighth, but officials have not taken concrete steps. Theatre figures say the upcoming local election is an opportunity to reopen public discussion.

"If the city establishes a municipal troupe with stable production systems and budgets, the quality of productions and performances will naturally improve," a local theatre representative said. "Actors will also be able to work in a more stable environment."

Shortages of performance venues and exhibition space are raised repeatedly. Local artists say demand concentrates at a few facilities, creating a shortage of small- and mid-sized venues and gallery space. Emerging artists, in particular, say limited access to space and high costs make it difficult to mount solo exhibitions or self-produced performances.

Practitioners of traditional Korean music are urging Daejeon to develop as a cultural city where tradition and modernity coexist.

Nam Il-woo, director of the Daejeon Municipal Yeonjeong Gugak Center, said, "Interest in gugak has been rising worldwide. We need attention and support for the Gugak Center so Daejeon can grow into a K-culture hub that blends tradition and modernity."

Expanding support for young artists is also a central task.

Kim Hye-won, director of the Aura Opera Company, called for subsidies for venue rentals, shared rehearsal spaces and creative grants for young artists so they can focus on making work. "We need to build a foundation that allows emerging artists to grow in Daejeon rather than leaving," she said.

Leaders also emphasize the need to expand cultural infrastructure to strengthen the city's competitiveness.

Baek Chun-hee, CEO of the Daejeon Cultural Foundation, said, "We must advance major projects like the second cultural and arts complex without delay and foster interdisciplinary content that combines science and the arts."

Local cultural leaders agree the election should prompt cultural policies to move beyond event- and festival-focused efforts and instead address the broader regional arts ecosystem.