Gwangju is reshaping itself into the cultural hub of Asia. Korea launched a 5.3 trillion won ($4.8 billion) project -- the single largest cultural project in modern Korean history -- in 2004 to turn the city into a hub by 2023.

The state project began with the late President Roh Moo-hyun’s election pledge in 2002 to develop both cities and provinces in a balanced way. Later, a special law was legislated to carry out the pledge. The project envisions Gwangju as a platform on which Asian countries share cultural legacy and experiences and create opportunities for growth.

Gwangju has been dubbed an “art town” in Korea as a number of notable artists and writers were born in the city. Heo Baek-ryeon (1891-1977) gained recognition as one of Korea’s representative painters of the Chinese Southern School. Pansori or Korean musical storytelling performer Im Bang-wool (1905-1961) is remembered each year at a contest named after him -- he’s a gifted singer of Seopyeonjae, a school of pansori based in western Jeolla. Gwangju is located in South Jeolla Province. Park Yong-chul (1904-1938) is a famous poet who published a poetry magazine, evaluated as a milestone in the history of Korean literature, in 1930.

Gwangju has also built its reputation as a culture city by hosting a range of events including the Gwangju Biennale and the Gwangju Design Biennale. Korean artist Im Heung-soon, winner of the Silver Lion at the 56th Venice Biennale 2015, said in his acceptance speech, “I’ve grown a lot as an artist through the Gwangju Biennale.” He participated in the biennale three times.

At the heart of the project lies the Asian Culture Complex built on the premise of the former building of South Jeolla provincial office in Gwangju. It is scheduled to open its doors officially to the public in September 2015. The complex will serve as a center of cultural content. There, artists will perform, show artworks and do many other creative activities. Scholars and experts will research Asian culture and hold forums. Citizens will join cultural programs as well as take rest.

The complex is a key part of the hub city plan. Officials have divided the city into seven cultural zones and connected them around the complex. The seven are the Asian Culture Complex Zone, the Visual Media Culture Zone, the Eco-Culture Conservation Zone, the Asian Cultural Exchange Zone, the Asian Traditional Cultural Zone, the Edcation-Culture Zone and the Asian Science & Technology Zone.

The Asian Culture Complex Zone has been formed around the complex. The Visual Media Culture Zone has many cultural facilities including the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall, Joong Wea Park, the Gwangju National Museum and the Gwangju Folk Museum. The Asian Cultural Exchange Zone has Sajik Park, a support center for artists and a street of artisans. The Asian Science & Technology Zone is a research zone where institutes study Asian values.

The Asian Traditional Cultural Zone aims to conserve Jeolla culture and folk games. Important spots in the zone include a theme park, a concert hall and an academy. The Eco-Culture Conservation Zone has been created around an ecological park and a wetland. Key points in Education-Culture Zone has an education park, model schools and educationally and culturally exemplar housing complexes.

The hub city project is expected to reinvigorate the economy of Gwangju by attracting human resources and content businesses. Its citizens will enjoy a higher quality of cultural life and have more job openings in the field of culture. The tourism business is also expected to pick up pace.

By Chun Sung-woo (swchun@heraldcorp.com)