GWANGJU < invest Korea

According to Yonhap News,

(GWANGJU=Yonhap News) Like any major city, the southern provincial city of Gwangju is known for many things.

Locals call it the "City of Light," translating the Chinese characters used in its name.

It's also the site of the pro-democracy movement on May 18, 1980, known as the May 18th Uprising. Ever since then, South Koreans have remembered Gwangju as the symbol of South Korean democracy.

But more than 30 years after that movement, the government has set out to add another modifier to this city: the cultural center of Asia.

The Asia Culture Center (ACC) opened last month after more than a decade of planning and construction.

Located in the basement of an old provincial office, it's the largest on the continent, according to Bang Seon-gyu, the acting head of the center.

Bang said the ACC is divided into five subunits, which each carry out a unique function.

ACC Archive & Research applies the data and resources the center holds to distribute knowledge in various formats, including forums, journals and other types of publications.

ACC Creation is a space for artists, architects, design researchers and engineers to produce diverse content.

Artists create and stage performances at the ACC Theater, which is comprised of two parts: the Grand Performance Hall, which can host up to three performances simultaneously and the Multi-functional Auditorium for all genres of performances, from theater to music.

ACC Children aims to nurture the creative talent of the next generation. And ACC Culture Exchange is dedicated to upholding the values of democracy and human rights, built on the site of the May 18th Uprising.

sojungpark@yna.co.kr

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