I am Young-taek Cho, Chairman of the Presidential Committee for the Asian Hub-City of Culture.
The 21st century is an era highlighted by culture and creativity. Against such a backdrop and with the goal of strengthening national competitiveness with these two growth-spurring engines, our Committee is dedicated to implementing the "Asian Hub-City of Culture Project," the single largest cultural project in the history of Korea.
This Project aims to transform Gwangju, the "City of Light," into the hub-city of culture in Asia, and its implications and significance are indeed multitudinous. It endeavors to enhance the nation's competitiveness through cultural development, to create a futuristic city model by capitalizing on what rich culture can bring, and to contribute to the balanced development of the country as a whole.
Yet, the most important aspiration of our Project is to cultivate an urban environment where we and our children can enjoy greater diversity in the scope and depth of cultural experiences and activities, and in the process, fortify cultural sensitivities and raise the quality of life. Through our Project, we hope to see the rebirth of a city embracing the novelties of the 21th century, a place with a bright future inhabited by residents flowing with vitality.
Today, we are witnessing our efforts bear fruit one by one. The first of such milestones is the entry into force of the Special Act on the Asian Hub-City of Culture, which provides the legal basis and support for our Project. Furthermore, as the Special Act became effective, we formulated the Master Plan on the Asian Hub-City of Culture to pave the way for full-fledged execution of our initiatives. The plan to build the Asian Culture Complex (ACC) is in full swing, along with preparations for its system of operation. We also anticipate greater opportunities to promote the local cultural industries as well as active exchanges among the diverse countries of Asia.
The key to success of our project on the Asian Hub-City of Culture is, in the end, all of you. Creating a beautiful and splendid hub-city of culture rests on the voluntary participation and creative implementation of each and all of you. We will continue to look forward to your ongoing support and interest.
