Arts & Culture: Part 1 - The National Library of Sejong City

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• published: 04 Feb 2014
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And now it's time for our Arts & Culture segment with Lee Tae Ho, and today he has news about a new cultural landmark that is making headlines. Good afternoon, Tae Ho. Good afternoon, Conn-young. So, what is this new cultural landmark that has been so popular with the masses? Well, it's definitely not what most people have in mind when they think of cultural landmarks. And in this age of high-tech digital media, it's a facility that definitely has a modern edge. The old adage "never judge a book by its cover," definitely applies to this brand new building in the city of Sejong. What looks to be an open book -- or a row of books stacked on a shelf -- is actually the National Library of Sejong. "I've brought a lot of friends here." "And why did you bring them here?" "Because the facilities and the view are excellent " The new facility was created to provide public servants who have recently moved to the area as part of a government relocation plan... with a central location for policy data. However, it is easy to see that there are more local residents and visitors here than government workers, which is in part because of the lack of other cultural facilities in the fast developing city and the brand new books that are available. As a result, 13 percent of the library's books are checked out on a regular basis, an abnormally high rate. The high quality of the interior has also made it a popular spot for local residents to gather, in addition to attracting visitors. "There are so many books available, and the digital reference room and other resources are so modern, it makes it a great atmosphere for studying or reading." Another feature that makes the library so popular is the beautiful sky lounge on the fourth floor. Since opening in December, the library has also been extremely popular as a benchmark, which is evidenced by the number of tours taken by people who work at other libraries. "There have been many visitors from many different places. Of course, there have been visits from people who work at other public libraries and university libraries, and the number of tour requests from organizers who are planning to open similar kinds of facilities has been overwhelming." This brand new "cultural oasis" in the administrative city of Sejong is open from nine to six, with plans to extend hours until 9 p.m. currently in the works.