In the Jung-gu district at the heart of Daegu, a historically and culturally focused facility is soon to be developed. The Daegu Urban Development Corporation is due to buy the Korea Development Bank building next to Gyeongsang-gamyoung Park in Pojeong-dong, Jung-gu. The move is intended to commemorate the building’s long history from its origin in 1931, no mean feat in the ever changing and developing city of Daegu. The plans show a remodeling of the building to transform it in to an accessible and interesting exhibition gallery and donate the property to the city and its residents.

The building was built in a 1649.6m² area, with a total working space of 2077.5m². It has 2 stories at the street level and 1 story underground. The building itself has been designated as tangible cultural property No.49 in recognition of its Renaissance style, beautiful architecture and historical value. The building has also been well maintained throughout its past, thus the cost of remodeling will be comparatively low. The city of Daegu will be able to utilize this building, which will act as a site of interest in itself, as an art gallery or history museum. An official commented; “The building is going to become the cultural center of the city, as the lawn in the park will also serve as an outdoor exhibition gallery”.

The nearby Herb Exhibition Hall is also due to be redecorated as a Traditional Korean Medicine Wellbeing Experience Hall scheduled to be opened in 2009. In the Hall, visitors will be able to experience traditional Korean medicines and drink traditional tea. Lee Jin Hun, the Chief of the Bureau of Culture, Sports and Tourism suggested that an area such as Jung-gu, which is not known for its abundance of tourist attractions, will prosper from the development as it will create an enjoyable and fascinating tour stop for domestic and international visitors alike.

These future redevelopment projects, together with the existing local cultural spaces will revitalize interest in the area’s cultural history and will draw tourists to the area, continuing to establish Daegu as the dynamic city it has become.

Daegu city also has plans to erect a Memorial Hall of 3 stories at street level with one underground level in Gukchaebosang Memorial Park in honor of the National Loan Compensation Movement. It will display the relics of 서상돈 김광제 who led the independence movement during the Japanese colonial period, and will introduce various education programs to the local community. The total space of the project will be roughly 1585m² and 6.7 billion won is to be invested to complete the project, ready to open its doors to the public in May 2009.

Daegu city has also decided to show the old houses belonging to famous citizens, 서상돈 and 이상화, to the public in May. The restoration is to be funded by the Military Mutual Aid Association. In 이상화’s old house his works and relics will be displayed and in 서상돈’s old house, National Loan Compensation Movement related materials will be available for viewing.

Source: Dong-A Ilbo
Translated by Aesook Shin
Proofread and edited byJoanne Fairgrieve