Pyeongtaek City Launches On-site Consulting with Outside Experts for 'Young Culture Street Project'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] On the 17th, Pyeongtaek City conducted on-site consulting and a roundtable discussion with outside experts to establish mid- to long-term strategies for the 'Young Culture Street Project' (a project to create cultural urban spaces in front of the U.S. military base and near Pyeongtaek Station).

The expert consulting was conducted to obtain professional advice and jointly explore development strategies for creating a 'Culture Street' that is differentiated from other local governments based on regional characteristics and identity, such as the U.S. military presence.

Outside experts participating included pop music critic Kim Jakga and Lee Ran-hee, representative of the Korea Street Art Association. To reflect the opinions of actual users on the U.S. military side, active-duty soldiers from Pyeongtaek-Osan Air Base and public affairs officers from the U.S. military base also participated.

First, during the on-site consulting, outside experts heard explanations from relevant departments and organizations. They then inspected the project sites for the Young Culture Street, including Paengseong Rodeo Street, Paengseong Artists Plaza, Sinjang Shopping Mall, and areas around Pyeongtaek Station.

At the roundtable discussion held at the City's Comprehensive Situation Room, Mayor Jung Jang-seon and heads of relevant departments and organizations (Korea-U.S. International Exchange Division, Culture and Arts Division, Tourism Division, Urban Regeneration Division, Pyeongtaek Station Development Promotion Team, International Exchange Foundation, Culture Foundation) attended to receive consultation on problems identified during the on-site consulting and the direction of the project, and exchanged various opinions.

Key suggestions included ▲discovering performances that combine Pyeongtaek's unique stories and art ▲specializing the commercial district in front of the U.S. military base through the introduction of experience-focused shopping ▲focusing on core concepts through local interpretation ▲discovering promising content through pilot projects and experiments. Pop culture critic Kim Jakga emphasized, "We must focus on 'play' culture, which is at the core of youth culture, so that young people naturally flow in and form a unique local culture." Lee Ran-hee, representative of the Korea Street Art Association, stated, "The reality is that Pyeongtaek lacks an integrated image and content, and innovation is needed through continuous communication with young planners."

Mayor Jung Jang-seon responded, "I will actively reflect the diverse opinions presented at this roundtable discussion and establish a mid- to long-term plan for creating new cultural spaces where young people can communicate."

A city official stated, "Through the 'Research Project for Establishing a 5-Year Plan for Creating Young Culture Streets' to be launched next March, we plan to specify year-by-year plans," and added, "Through continuous communication and collaboration including task forces with relevant departments and organizations and expert meetings, we will concentrate all our capabilities on creating cultural spaces in daily life and generating new regional culture."