Seoul's Nodeul Island to be made into an art and culture hub

Social Affairs

Published: 28 Feb. 2022, 15:43 Updated: 28 Feb. 2022, 15:44

Seoul's Nodeul Island to be made into an art and culture hub

Public art piece "Moonlight Nodeul" installed on the quay at Nodeul Island on the Han River in Seoul [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

Nodeul Island, which sits in the Han River in the heart of Seoul, is being revamped as a "global art island" with art exhibitions and music performances held 365 days a year.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government last Wednesday presented a blueprint for Seoul as a "Digital Culture City" combining digital technology and art, and announced that it would spend a total of 608 billion won ($54.7 million) this year to implement the relevant cultural policies. The goal is to create a city where all citizens can easily access and enjoy various art and culture, while helping artists to develop competitiveness in the field.

The uninhabited man-made island situated in the middle of Seoul may already be familiar to the fans of Korean dramas, as it served as a location for Start-Up (2020) and a date spot for the DoDal Couple in the series.

Originally the island was a sand beach along the river at the end of Yongsan District, southern Seoul, where Sinchori Village was located. In 1917, an iron pedestrian bridge was built over the Han River connecting Yongsan to the north and Dongjak to the south.

Until the 1960s, the island served as a popular spot where people enjoyed playing in the water and fishing in summer and skating in winter. But as part of the Han River Development Project in the late 1960s, a large amount of sand from the was removed, leaving an island. It was undeveloped for over 40 years and all but forgotten.

In 2005, the long-abandoned island was in the spotlight again. Lee Myung-bak, then-Seoul mayor and former Korean president, drew up a plan to create performance facilities on the island modeled after the Sydney Opera House, but the project fell through due to a lack of financing. Since then, projects on transforming the island changed every time a new mayor came into office. An amusement park, an art island or a weekend farm were some of the schemes.

After many twists and turns, the 9,747 square-meter (2.4-acre) island finally made its grand opening in September 2019 as a cultural complex space, but the public reaction was lukewarm. Citizens said that box-shaped gray concrete building does not fit the concept of cultural space but rather looks like a prison — and with the arrival of the pandemic, visitor numbers fell and the island became once again desolated.

"On the western half of Nodeul Island, there are several buildings that lack aesthetics and are unsuccessful in terms of design, and thus lowering the island's utilization," Mayor Oh Se-hoon said during a press conference for foreign correspondents held on Feb. 17.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon at the 2021 DDP Design Fair held at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in central Seoul on Oct. 21, 2021 [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

"A specific five-year-plan is now in place to make it function as an art island with music, art and various artistic activities that run 365 days a year," Oh said. "In about five years, Nodeul Island is expected to become a hot spot in Seoul."

Along with Seonyudo Park and Nanji Hangang Park, Seoul City said it will make Nodeul Island a public art landmark with sculptures. Nodeul Island, in particular, will be reborn as a global art island featuring public art using the island's rooftops, wall surfaces and a lawn square, and giving visitors a sense of stability and intimacy, the city government said. An outdoor sculpture festival and a public art festival are planned.

The city government hopes to make the capital a city of festivals where people can attend various performance — jazz, b-boying and K-pop — throughout the year, including the Seoul Jazz Festa (from April 26 to May 1), the Seoul Drum Festival (from May 27 to 28) and the Seoul Music Festival (from Oct. 12 to 16) scheduled to be held on Nodeul Island.

Earlier, the city canceled a contract with the company that was in charge of operating the Nodeul Island's cultural complex on commission due to charges of embezzling private consignment funds, and filed a complaint.

"The handover of the work is progressing smoothly," said Joo Yong-tae, head of Culture Headquarters at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, during a press briefing on Wednesday. "The outsourcing company was finally selected through a review the previous day, and it will be in charge of operating the island from April."

A media facade to be installed at Gwanghwamun, central Seoul [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

Seoul City is set to kick off a "rebuilding project" to create a digital cultural center around Gwanghwamun Square, which will reopen along with the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. From July, a large media facade will be installed at Sejong Center, and every December from this year, major buildings in the Gwanghwamun area will be transformed into a huge media art stage.

Seoul also plans to expand art in everyday spaces, such as at Seoul Plaza and bus stops, so that citizens can enjoy culture and art in their daily lives. Policies are implemented to lower the entry barriers of performances, such as holding free municipal symphony orchestra concerts in neighborhoods or classical performances with admissions fees of 1,000 won.

Support for artists and the underprivileged will also continue. The city will give financial aid to a total of 13,000 artists suffering as a result of the pandemic, providing 1 million won to each. It is also expanding a project to let elementary school students watch performances for free, and further extending it to all middle school students next year and to high school students in 2024.

"Through digital technology, we will expand the opportunities to enjoy culture and arts so that anyone can enjoy it in their daily lives, and also minimize the culturally marginalized population," the Seoul mayor said.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]