May 2023

Jemincheon Stream, which runs through the old city center of Gongju, has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years. What used to be an ordinary stream has become a lively street, thanks to the efforts of young people with their own personalities who have visited the area. Kwon Osang, the CEO of Puzzlelab. Inc., is a key figure when discussing this change. He has been instrumental in revitalizing Gongju¡¯s downtown area, particularly around Jemincheon Stream.

Kwon, who had previously done overseas marketing for 15 years at the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization, settled in Gongju by chance. He purchased an old Hanok in old city center Gongju and started an inn. Initially, the locals were apprehensive about his business idea. Gongju is famous for Baekje¡¯s historical cultural properties, and the area around Jemincheon Stream is far from historical sites. The locals dissuaded Kwon from going to a tourist destination to do the lodging business. However, Kwon saw potential in the area and decided to go ahead with his plans.

¡°What I did at the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization was to connect scattered tourist attractions with one line. There are a lot of treasure-like spaces around the Jemincheon Stream. I thought that we could connect these spaces together and turn the entire village into a hotel,¡± says Kwon.

For instance, accommodations such as ¡°Hanok stay¡± Innes, guest houses and share houses in the area of Jemincheon Stream have functional limitations due to remodeling of old houses. Kwon¡¯s Hanok Stay lacks cooking facilities, a limitation overcome through collaboration with local residents. They established a network with cafes and restaurants in the village so that guests can use it organically. After some time, the village could be transformed into a huge hotel as he intended.

Gongju has become ¡°our¡± town for Kwon and the Puzzlelab. Inc. staff. One of their former employees moved to Gongju, and now Kwon is advising young people who are interested in starting anew in Gongju through a project called ¡°Degree of Freedom.¡± ¡°People who comes to this town may not have a deep understanding of the local information, so we are working on creating a bridge between them and the local community. Ultimately, it is up to the individual to decide. Gongju may not be as active in supporting young people as other small cities, but most young people here are able to build their own lives with self-confidence instead of relying on government support or assistance.¡±

Making Gongju a safe place where young people can freely pursue their dreams, and connecting them to a common purpose is Kwon¡¯s way of loving Gongju. He sees hope for revitalization from the young people who stay in Gongju because they like it here. ¡°While attracting new residents is one way to prevent population decline, it is equally important to prevent population outflow. If Gongju offers abundant work and leisure opportunities, young people born and raised here won¡¯t have to leave. I hope Gongju becomes such a place.¡±

Efforts to revive the original city center of Gongju, a small city with a population of only 100,000, are underway, not just by young people from other regions but also by the locals who call it home. One such individual is Rim Jaikwang, who runs a gallery and cafe on Jemincheon Stream.

Rim, who has been involved with art all his life, graduated from Kongju National University¡¯s art education department, worked as an art teacher at a middle and high school, became an art critic, and recently debuted as an artist. Throughout his life, he naturally found the key to reviving the original city center in art.

¡°Gongju is designated as an old capital conservation and nurturing area. So it¡¯s hard to develop. From the residents¡¯ point of view, they were in a situation where they couldn¡¯t do this or that, but when I looked at it with interest, I found the charm of the original city center. I wanted to do something here.¡± As soon as he took an interest in the area, a building was put up for sale, and he bought it to open a cafe and gallery. He named the space Seocheon Sanghoe and Gallery Shigal, respectively.

The concept of the space Rim created is ¡°regeneration.¡± Both the cafe and the gallery reproduced the old buildings as they were. He stressed that regeneration is also the key to reviving the old city center of Gongju. The redevelopment of all existing buildings and new ones cannot take advantage of the long history and years of the original city center. ¡°Gongju is a place where history, culture and art are very deep. It was not only the capital of the Baekje period, but it also has abundant human resources. Famous artists such as poet Ra Tae Joo, Painter Dong Yoo Kim and Rim Dong Sik are from Gongju.¡±

Rim dreams of solidarity to revive the old city center of Gongju through art. Seven galleries are gathered in the original city center alone, and there are eight secondhand bookstores or small bookstores where humanities or reading lectures are held. ¡°The biggest advantage of Gongju¡¯s original city center is that it can be explored on foot. There are many cultural and artistic spaces like jewels in Gongju. If we use this well, wouldn¡¯t we be able to make art come alive in Gongju?

Rim saw the possibility through ¡°Gallery Week¡± in 2022. During the period, exhibitions were held simultaneously in seven galleries in the old city center of Gongju and in spaces operated by the Gongju Cultural Foundation. As the galleries are scattered within walking distance, the old city center was crowded throughout Gallery Week as visitors moved around, drinking tea, shopping and eating.

Gongju-based galleries, who sympathized with Rim¡¯s purpose, joined forces to form the Gallery Association. Artists in Gongju joined forces to revive the original city center with art. ¡°The main challenge facing Gongju is its population decline. However, since Gongju is a protected area, building new apartments is not possible. One solution is to transform the area into a cultural and artistic destination, making it an attractive place for people to come and enjoy various cultural experiences, even if they don¡¯t live in the area.¡±

Rim is full of affection for the old city center of Gongju. Perhaps it is thanks to the affection and invisible efforts of natives such as Rim, not the Special Act on the Conservation and Promotion of Ancient Capitals, that has supported the old city center of Gongju.