The CEN News / Reporter Lee Ju-sang | Gimje City in North Jeolla Province is accelerating efforts to become a city of everyday culture by expanding cultural infrastructure and broadening citizen-driven content.
City officials say they will raise residents' cultural engagement by pairing facility construction with program planning and operations—adopting a \"space + content\" strategy rather than focusing on buildings alone.
The flagship project is the planned Gimje Cultural Arts Community Center, which will serve as a regional cultural hub. The city will invest 19.1 billion KRW (approximately $14,325,000) to build a facility with one basement level and two above-ground floors in the Gyodong area. Completion is targeted for May 2027.
The city has finished pre-construction steps, including a review of design economics and technical assessments, and is now preparing the site. Once complete, officials plan to operate the center as a mixed-use platform combining exhibitions, performances and educational programs.
The Goodmangyeong Creative Workshop, aimed at strengthening the creative environment for local artists, is also scheduled to be completed in July.
The city is investing 1.6 billion KRW (approximately $1,200,000) to redevelop the former Manjeong foundry site, which was lost to fire, into live-in studio space along with exhibition and hands-on facilities. The project seeks both to attract artists and to generate new tourism content.
Each month during the last week, the city operates \"Gimje Culture Day\" to bring performances and interactive programs to towns and underserved communities. It has also expanded everyday access to art through a container-style traveling gallery called the Mobile Street Art Museum.
Since 2022, that initiative has held more than 30 exhibitions, supporting local artists and improving public access to the arts.
The Gimje Cultural and Arts Center will present curated programming year-round, beginning with a spring concert and including musicals, plays, magic shows and participatory performances.
Officials also plan to incorporate nationally funded works and performances by resident local arts groups to enhance the quality and variety of the programs.
Through these projects, Gimje aims to expand opportunities for cultural enjoyment while revitalizing the local arts ecosystem.
A city official said, \"Through cultural policies that align facilities and programming, we will create an environment in which culture naturally becomes part of residents' daily lives. We will transform Gimje into a cultural city connected by the arts.\"
(The CEN News) Honam Reporting Bureau, Reporter Lee Ju-sang eaglefood@naver.com
