Oh Se-hoon, Seoul’s mayor and the People Power Party’s candidate for mayor, unveiled the “K-Entertown, Chang-dong” plan and warned that a philosophy of tearing down the DDP would undermine efforts to grow the K-entertainment sector.
On the 21st, Oh posted on his Facebook page, saying, “Since my first term, I have centered culture and design in the city’s economy,” and adding that “even then, the Democratic Party dismissed that as idle talk.”
He said that, even after 20 years, the Democratic Party’s “anti-culture, anti-design” instincts have not changed. He noted that a lawmaker who has called for demolishing the DDP has been named a senior campaign co-chair, and that a professor who made similar arguments now chairs the Seoul Vision Committee — both figures prominently involved in the Seoul election.
Oh said Seoul recognized K-pop’s growth potential early and began planning a multipurpose performance venue in Chang-dong as far back as 2009. “Today we announced the result of that effort: the ‘K-Entertown, Chang-dong’ plan,” he said. The Seoul Arena, billed as the country’s first and largest K-pop–exclusive venue, is scheduled to host its inaugural performance in May next year. The city plans to use the arena as a catalyst to transform Chang-dong into a hub for the K-entertainment industry and related cultural activity.
He added that the vision for Chang-dong is a northeast economic center where festivals and performances happen year-round, where businesses and jobs cluster, where tourists stay longer, and where local commerce receives a sustained boost.
Seoul unveiled the “Global Cultural Hub: K-Entertown, Chang-dong” plan to develop the area around Seoul Arena, a 28,000-seat venue set to open in the first half of next year.
The initiative centers on Seoul Arena and seeks to ensure K-pop concerts do more than generate ticket revenue. City officials want events to drive hotel bookings, transit use, dining and retail spending, and to create entertainment-industry jobs that help make Chang-dong an economic engine for northeastern Seoul.
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