Yongin Special City Transforms Poeun Art Hall Area into 'Landmark'
[Suwon Ilbo=Choi Ki-ho Reporter] Yongin Special City is accelerating infrastructure expansion to transform the Poeun Art Hall in Suji-gu into a 'landmark' where art, culture performances, and tourism are harmoniously blended.
The city announced on the 15th that as the first phase of the 'Smart Tourism City Development Project,' it has completed the installation of a large LED display board on the exterior wall of the Poeun Art Hall and begun pilot operations.
The city was selected in the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's 'Smart Tourism City Development' competition and is investing a total project budget of 9 billion won—4.5 billion won in national funding and 4.5 billion won in local funds—to install cultural and tourism facilities on the exterior wall and plaza of the Poeun Art Hall.
Through the large LED display board installed on the exterior wall of the Poeun Art Hall, the city plans to showcase various tourism information and performance schedules of Yongin as well as approximately 10 media art works, providing citizens and tourists visiting Yongin with diverse cultural, artistic, and tourism attractions.
The city is also undertaking a project to construct a 'media facade' utilizing the entire wall surface of the Poeun Art Hall plaza. The city plans to promote the Eight Views of Yongin using the city's character 'Jo-ah Yongin' and to showcase media art works through the media facade in collaboration with the Nam June Paik Art Center.
At the Arpita Tower observation deck near the Poeun Art Hall, visitors will be able to overlook the Suji-gu and Giheung-gu areas of Yongin and the Gyeongbu Expressway at a glance, and a media gallery where digital art can also be appreciated will open.
Prior to this, in January of last year, the city replaced the stage acoustics, lighting, and video facilities of the Poeun Art Hall and expanded the seating capacity from 1,259 to 1,525 seats, creating favorable conditions for attracting better performances.
Additionally, the city tidied up pillars and flowerbeds in the Poeun Art Hall plaza and created an environment where outdoor performances can also be held during favorable seasons.
Looking ahead, the city is also envisioning the creation of a 'K-Art Valley' that connects the Poeun Art Hall with various attractions including the Jukjeon Outdoor Music Hall, the cafe street in Bojeong-dong, Platform City, Keun-eouleul Square, the Nam June Paik Art Center, the Korean Folk Village, the Yongin City Museum, and Everland.
Mayor Lee Sang-il stated, "We secured national funding by winning the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism competition project and are adding local funds to proceed with the Smart Tourism City Development Project with the intention of allowing citizens and visitors to Yongin to deeply feel the scent of culture and the arts when visiting the Poeun Art Hall," and added, "Once the project is completed in the first half of this year, the Poeun Art Hall is expected to establish itself as one of the landmark buildings that enhance Yongin's prestige."
The mayor further stated, "Since the large LED display board installation project has been completed, we will proceed smoothly with the media facade installation to ensure that the Poeun Art Hall area becomes a renowned destination providing diverse attractions through the harmony of advanced technology and light."