Wonju plans to build art museum at former U.S. military base site

A view of the former Camp Long site in Wonju city, Gangwon. A public art museum will be built at the former U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) base. [YONHAP]

WONJU, Gangwon - The eastern city of Wonju plans to build a public art museum at the site of a former U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) base by 2023, its mayor said Monday.

The 15-billion-won ($13.2 million) project recently passed the feasibility assessment by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, according to Mayor Won Chang-mug.

He said the three-story museum will be built on 9,000 square meters of land on the former Camp Long site in the city, about 140 kilometers east of Seoul. The city plans to begin construction next year and open the museum by April 2023.

The U.S. Army garrison was established in 1955 to support airfield units. It was shut down in 2010 and returned to South Korea in 2019.

The museum will have exhibition halls, a library and seminar rooms with installation works placed in the forest around the museum.

The city government will consider hosting exhibitions of artworks possessed by USFK through consultation with military authorities and the U.S. Embassy.

Yonhap