Gangwon State to Turn Vacant Old-Downtown Stores into a 'Youth Cultural Hub,' Dreaming of Hongdae Street

【Financial News Chuncheon = Reporter Kim Ki-seop】Gangwon State is working with young musicians to find ways to revive vacant stores in the old downtown area, which have increased amid the downturn in commercial activity, as youth cultural hubs.
According to Gangwon State on the 7th, Governor Woo Sang-ho invited young musicians based and active in the province to a dialogue meeting that day to discuss transforming unused spaces in the old downtown area into cultural hubs. It was the first time a governor had gathered with young musicians to hear directly from those in the field and discuss policy measures. The meeting took an informal, unconventional approach, allowing participants to freely exchange ideas on revitalizing the old downtown area and building a youth music ecosystem rather than following a one-sided meeting format.
The meeting was organized to transform vacant stores and unused spaces into places filled with youth and art. Gangwon State plans to create spaces, like Seoul’s Hongdae Street, where young artists can gather voluntarily to perform, create and interact, while reflecting their needs in its policies.
The young musicians who attended spoke about the lack of space and difficulties achieving financial independence, and presented various ideas for using vacant stores. Their proposals included creating small live halls and rehearsal rooms by remodeling empty stores, expanding participation in local festivals and creative support for young musicians, and establishing a regular street-performance system where musicians and residents could come together.
Based on the proposals raised at the meeting, Gangwon State plans to flesh out related policies, including support for purchasing or leasing unused spaces in old downtown areas and programs supporting young artists’ cultural and artistic work, to accelerate the revitalization of these areas.
Governor Woo Sang-ho said, "We will fill vacant stores with spaces for young people to perform and create, breathing new life into the old downtown areas," adding, "As the key to urban regeneration lies in the people and culture that fill these spaces, I will boldly incorporate the opinions raised today into our policies."

[email protected] Kim Ki-seop Reporter