Osan City Steps Up Efforts to Attract 'Lee Kun-hee Museum'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] Osan City announced it will actively pursue attracting the 'Lee Kun-hee Museum'.

Osan Mayor Kwak Sang-wook said on the 17th, "While continuing the noble legacy of 'cultural contribution' by the late Lee Kun-hee, former chairman of Samsung, the optimal location for an art museum where all citizens can appreciate fine works is Osan," and added, "We will do our best to ensure that Osan City can create an outstanding art museum in keeping with the late chairman's wishes."

The city proposed public land in Naesamnmi-dong, Osan as the candidate site, which is emerging as a new education, culture, and tourism hub.

Mayor Kwak presented 5 reasons why Osan City can be the optimal location for attraction.

First, Naesamnmi-dong in Osan is being developed as the premier culture and tourism complex in the southern Seoul metropolitan area, with approximately 38,961 square meters of city-owned land available within the complex. Land can be expanded to adjacent areas if needed, which can save time spent on administrative procedures such as land compensation and enable construction to begin in the shortest possible time.

Second, Korea's first state-of-the-art miniature village and integrated safety experience center are set to open within the complex, and a drama set is also available, which can provide museum visitors with diverse attractions and experiences.

Third, as a strategic point with excellent transportation access, it is only 1 kilometer from North Osan IC on the Bundang-Gwacheon Highway, and is easily accessible via the Gyeongbu Expressway, subway, high-speed rail, and national roads. Mayor Kwak emphasized that citizens and visitors seeking the museum can easily visit.

Fourth, if an art museum is established on the Naesamnmi-dong public land, which houses Korean Wave content, it is approximately one hour away from Incheon International Airport, which can attract many foreign tourists.

Fifth, Mayor Kwak emphasized that Naesamnmi-dong in Osan is recognized as the optimal center of the Seoul metropolitan area's culture belt and the best location to meet the cultural demands of 28 million people in the Seoul metropolitan area.