Suwon Selected as Third-Phase Designated Cultural City by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism...to Receive Maximum 10 Billion Won in Government Funding

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Junseong] Suwon has been selected as the third-phase designated cultural city designated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and will receive maximum government funding of 10 billion won over five years.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 23rd that it has designated Suwon and five other local governments as third-phase cultural city sites following review by the Cultural City Review Committee. For third-phase cultural cities, maximum government funding of 10 billion won (1.5 billion won in 2022) will be provided over five years.

The city plans to implement cultural city projects by investing maximum 20 billion won (10 billion won each from government and city budget) over five years from next year through 2026.

The Cultural City Review Committee selected the third-phase designated cultural cities after reviewing the preliminary project performance and cultural city development plans pursued over the past year by 16 local governments designated as third-phase preliminary cultural cities in December of last year, followed by on-site inspections and presentation evaluations.

The city received high evaluation for its efforts to utilize the abundant cultural resources in diverse residential areas by connecting them to cultural activities desired by citizens.

The 'Cultural City Development Project' is a government-funded project that enables regions to independently plan their cities' cultural environments and create city brands by utilizing cultural assets.

The city was selected in December of last year as a third-phase preliminary cultural city designated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and pursued preliminary city projects for one year under the vision of 'Suwon, a cultural city that looks out for one another and faces challenges together.'

The core of the cultural city project that the city is pursuing is 'establishing cultural governance through citizen participation.'

It has established 'cultural city promotion governance' including a citizen council, institutional council, administrative council, and planning advisory group, and has built an implementation system by operating the Cultural City Center and operating committees. Additionally, it has completed administrative and financial preparations by comprehensively revising the 'Suwon City Cultural City Ordinance' and concluding agreements to support and promote the cultural city project.

In December 2019, the city held the 'Cultural City Citizen Forum,' a citizen council to identify Suwon's cultural identity, and in May of this year, it launched an 'institutional council' with participation from six Suwon collaborative organizations including the Suwon Sustainable City Foundation and the Suwon Volunteer Center to secure continuity of the cultural city project.

In June, it established the 'Suwon City Cultural City Administrative Council,' which identifies linked projects related to cultural city development and reviews the feasibility of citizen-proposed projects, and in August, it organized the 'Suwon City Cultural City Operating Committee,' which establishes major policies and plans regarding the cultural city and evaluates project implementation status.