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To widen the cultural infrastructure that will lead to a richer cultural metropolis
Establishment of the Cultural Hall of Asia
: To erect the National Cultural Hall of Asia to stand at the forefront of cultural exchange, production and consumption in Asia, to widen the knowledge base for the city's cultural development, and for use as a symbolic landmark for cultural research (2003-2010, KRW 717.4 billion from central government expenditure).
: Overview
- Location: Gwangsan-dong, Dong-gu, Gwangju
- Size: plot of 81,140㎡, total floor space of 142,460㎡
- Composition: National Asian Culture Complex, Asia Art-plex, Asia Cultural Center, Educational and Cultural Center, other ancillary facilities
Establishment of an integrated complex for the culture industry
: To build a comprehensive cultural industrial complex, to serve as the cradle for the culture industry, in a location featuring easy access and a pleasant setting, on a footprint of 2.4 million to 3.3 million㎡ (2006-2015, KRW 532 billion).
: To build a complex for a world-class culture industry by attracting public entities involved in culture as well as companies and research institutes focused on high-tech science. : To build a state-of-the-art environment for companies and residences through FTTH (Fiber To The Home) and "ubiquitous" projects, and to develop the whole city into a tourism magnet by building a new city merging art with science, tradition with modernity.
- To build a Digital Theme Park integrating IT with digital and popular culture, an Arts and Science Park, and a Five Senses Museum of Korea.
Hosting of Gwangju International Youth Music Festival
: To stage a youth music festival of international standards that encourages citizen participation and fosters a sense of communal unity under the concept of a cultural metropolis.
: To cultivate an appreciation for music among youth - using music as a medium - in consideration that youth will stand at the helm of the future cultural metropolis, and to provide youth with more opportunities for international exchange.
: Overview
- Event name: International Youth Music Festival, Gwangju
- Theme: Gwangju, Asian mecca for the next generation
Hosting of Gwangju Design Biennale : To inaugurate the Gwangju Design Biennale in October 2005 to establish an image as a "design city" and to develop the design industry
: Aimed at expanding the concept of design and promoting exchange in advanced design. Event will be held every odd-numbered year.
The Festival of Light : To host a festival under the theme of light in 2008 to commemorate the establishment of the "Theme Park of Light and Art" at Mt. Eodeung, and to commercialize Gwangju (literally meaning "city of light") as a tourist destination.
: To use the event as a launchpad to promote the photonics, design and cultural content industries by designing an image of the city of light and through audio-visual shows using laser beams and LEDs.
Hosting of Photonics Expo
: To host the International Photonics Expo and other large-scale events to provide a radical turning point in regional development through the introduction of the photonics industry to the global market.
: Overview
- Event name: Photonics EXPO 2009 (unofficial exposition)
- Theme: "Light, the future of mankind”
- Participation: 50 participating nations, one million visitors
- Key details: exhibition and convention (International Photonics Exhibition and related academic seminars), World Fireworks Championship, lighting exhibition, world folk cultural performances, etc.
Hosting of World Cultural Olympics
:To reinforce Gwangju's status as a center for culture by hosting the 3rd World Cultural Forum, thus providing an arena for global cultural exchange and contributing to the revitalization of the regional economy by generating a substantial ripple effect.
: Overview
- Event name: World Cultural Forum in Gwangju 2011
- Host: Gwangju City, Republic of Korea (Sponsored by UNESCO)
- Contents: cultural and arts performances based on the cultural diversity of humankind, international conferences, operation of publicity halls, peace camps, etc.
Supervised by(Contact) : Cultural Policy Office(+82-62-613-3426)
Globalizing the five existing festivals
To transform the Gwangju Biennale into one of the top five biennales in the world
: To develop the Gwangju Biennale, Asia's representative arts festival, into the world's leading biennale.
: To promote creative planning and operation of exhibits by improving the environment around the exhibition hall, bolstering efforts to attract foreign visitors, and promoting visitor participation.
To promote the tourism and industrial resources of the Gwangju Kimchi Festival
: To develop the festival into a contributor to the regional economy based on its accumulated experience and brand value.
: To expand the range of products on display, to strengthen publicity efforts in Korea and abroad, and to support the development of the domestic kimchi industry.
To strengthen the status of the Imbangul Traditional Music Contest
: To develop the Imbangul Traditional Music Contest into a representative traditional music festival of Korea.
: To boost public interest and encourage visitor participation by enhancing studies of traditional music, to encourage persons with talent in traditional music, and to conduct a live television broadcast of the contest.
To strengthen the identity of the Gwangju International Film Festival
: To develop it as a film festival with competitive advantage that demonstrates the unique color and appeal of Gwangju.
: To establish mid- to long-term development plans for the film festival, to reinforce planning and operational capacity, to secure an exclusive theater, and to strengthen publicity to encourage public participation.
To turn the Gwangju Festival, held in celebration of the declaration of Gwangju as a cultural metropolis, into a festival for all citizens.
: To hold an annual Citizens Day festival with the aim of generating harmony among the citizenry.
: To hold festival events focused on citizens by organizing a committee comprised of members of the private sector, diversification of the genre through contests on programs, and designation of an optimal period for staging the festival.
Supervised by(Contact) : Cultural Foundation Division(+82-62-613-3463)
Supervised by(Contact) : Cultural Policy Office(+82-62-613-3426)
Taking a giant leap forward as the tourism hub for the southwest region of Korea
To build the "Theme Park of Light and Art" on Mt. Eodeung
: To build a tourism complex featuring an internationally competitive edge, under the theme of the unique culture and art of South Jeolla province and Gwangju, in the vicinity of Mt.
Eodeung (2005-2009, KRW 513 billion).
: To attract tourists in family units from Korea and overseas with tourism attractions such as interactive museums with a light theme, five-star hotels and golf courses.
To build a tourism complex with a siga (poetry) theme on Gwangju Lake
: To develop the areas surrounding Gwangju Lake into a water-oriented leisure district where pavilions appear in harmony with the waterscape (2001-2005, KRW 5.8 billion).
: To create a space consisting of a grassy plaza, picnicking area, aquatic botanical garden and nature center where leisure and education intermingle.
To spark greater interest in exhibition and convention industry, and to attract various sporting events from Korea and abroad
: To attract international-class events and conferences as well as sporting events with the opening of the Exhibition Convention Center in 2005 (2005-, KRW 134.7 billion).
: To promote the exhibition and convention industry as well as tourism industry and to contribute to the promotion of the regional economy.
To establish a tourism belt in Korea's southwest region linked with the South Jeolla J-project
: To establish a tourism belt in the downtown, linking Mt. Eodeung with Pungamje, Central Park, downtown parks, Gwangju Lake and Mt. Mudeung.
: To establish a tourism belt in Korea's southwest region that is linked with the South Jeolla province tourism development project, by bringing a five-star hotel to Central Park.
Launching the "Cultural Renaissance of Gwangju" campaign
To promote culture and art among future generations : To host a diverse array of youth festivals and artistic programs for youth so as to nurture young people with artistic talent.
: To render support for supporting talented individuals, planning cultural products, cultivating design experts and enriching cultural programs at schools.
To expand and solidify art spaces featuring citizen participation
: To elevate the pride of citizens of the Gwangju metropolis by providing diverse art spaces and art programs featuring citizen participation.
: To establish a theme park for digital content, an archive for cultural content, and to offer cultural arts services through visits.
To establish a strong identity for Gwangju through the preservation and utilization of the region's cultural heritage
: To establish a cultural identity through the preservation and re-interpretation of traditional cultural heritage, and to remake cultural content into resources.
: To repair and maintain cultural properties, to operate cultural centers at field sites, and to expand centers that exhibit historic relics.
To foster Gwangju into a global city promoting democracy, human rights and peace.
: To reinforce the status of Gwangju as a world-class city emphasizing democracy, human rights and peace, by passing down a spirit of democratization and disseminating the concepts of human rights and peace in Korea and abroad.
: To expand facilities and space related to the May 18 democratization movement and to establish their operation
- To build "historic experience" spaces through upkeep of courtrooms and detention centers used during the time of the May 18 democratization movement.
To widen the cultural infrastructure that will lead to a richer cultural metropolis 
: To inaugurate the Gwangju Design Biennale in October 2005 to establish an image as a "design city" and to develop the design industry 
: To host a festival under the theme of light in 2008 to commemorate the establishment of the "Theme Park of Light and Art" at Mt. Eodeung, and to commercialize Gwangju (literally meaning "city of light") as a tourist destination.
