The Seoul city government on Wednesday announced a digital culture city project centered on creating digital media artworks throughout the capital.

The city government declared this year as the first year of the "Digital Emotional Culture City" project and unveiled 10 cultural policy tasks.

Under the project, the Gwanghwamun Square area in central Seoul will be transformed into a huge media art stage and Nodeul Island, an uninhabited artificial island in the Han River, and other waterfront spaces will be reborn as art spots.

The Dongdaemun Design Plaza, or DDP, in central Seoul will also be reborn as a cradle of digital media art content, comprising a digital library and a digital museum, the government said.

Specifically, a large media facade will be installed at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Gwanghwamun in July to permanently display media artworks, it said. It will hold the so-called "Media Facade Festival" in the area every December using major buildings around Gwanghwamun Square.

In November, an outdoor electronic sign board at the Seoul Library near Seoul Plaza will be replaced with an LED digital media canvas, while the central Seoul plaza will be made into an open space where all citizens can comfortably read books.

The city government will also organize a media art show with the theme of 100 years of Seoul every night at the Donuimun Museum Village in central Seoul beginning in May.

In September, an immersive content production studio equipped with the nation's largest LED wall structure will open at Mount Namsan in central Seoul.

In addition, waterfront areas of the Han River, which flows through Seoul, will be developed as cultural resting places for citizens, the government noted.

Nodeul Island will be reborn as a "global art island" focused on public art, while public art landmarks will be created along the waterfront areas of Nodeul Island, Seonyudo Park and Nanji Hangang Park by 2026.

It said various cultural facilities will open one after another this year -- remodeled Samcheonggak, a traditional cultural space, in March; the nation's first art book culture space in August; and a combination of an art museum and an archives in September.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said his government will take advantage of digital technologies to expand opportunities for all citizens to enjoy culture and art in their daily lives, and minimize the culturally underprivileged class. (Yonhap)