The Gangseo-gu Office in Seoul (Mayor Jin Gyo-hun) will hold a naming contest, open to residents, for the public library set to open this October inside the district’s new Magok Integrated Government Complex. Submissions will be accepted from the 1st to the 20th of next month. The library will be housed in the integrated complex to which the Gangseo-gu Office is relocating for the first time in 49 years since its founding, occupying a total floor area of 2,010 square meters from the basement level up to the first floor. The district said it designed the naming contest so that residents could share in the library’s opening from its very first day, alongside the launch of the new government complex.
 [코리안투데이] Poster for the Gangseo-gu Integrated Government Complex library naming contest © 송정숙 기자 |
The new library is distinguished by a layout that removes boundaries between generations. The separation between the infant and children’s reading room and the general reading room has been eliminated to create a more open feel, and a stepped space connecting the basement and first floors has been designed to let residents linger naturally. Program rooms and club rooms will also be available to support residents’ own communication and gatherings. Through this design, the district said it aims to turn the library into more than a place to read books — a multipurpose cultural space where all generations can rest and share knowledge together. Compared with existing public libraries that have traditionally centered on reading rooms, the layout’s blurring of boundaries between generations and functions marks a notable departure.
The contest will run from August 1 to August 20. Anyone may enter, not only Gangseo-gu residents but also anyone who works, attends school, or belongs to an organization based in the district. Entrants should submit a name of eight Korean characters or fewer that captures the library’s character, either through the online submission page (m.site.naver.com/2cTjM) or by text message (submission number 02-2600-6986). Applications can also be made via a QR code posted on the Gangseo-gu Office website and elsewhere.
Submitted names will be comprehensively reviewed based on how well they reflect Gangseo-gu’s regional character and the library’s identity, as well as their originality and ease of pronunciation. An online resident preference survey will then be conducted from August 26 to September 6 to help select the final six winning entries. Prizes include 300,000 won for the top award, 200,000 won each for two excellence awards, and 100,000 won each for three merit awards. The final results will be announced on the Gangseo-gu Office website on September 15.
“This contest was organized to mark the opening of the integrated government complex that will usher in a new future for Gangseo-gu, and to have residents share in the library’s first steps,” said Gangseo-gu Mayor Jin Gyo-hun. “We hope residents will show great interest and take part.”
Other local governments have occasionally run similar contests to name new facilities, but observers say this one carries particular significance given that it coincides with the symbolic relocation of the district office to a new complex after 49 years. As the library is expected to serve not just as a place to borrow and read books but as a hub for intergenerational exchange and community communication, the naming process itself is seen as an opportunity to build residents’ interest in and attachment to the new library. For more information, contact the Gangseo-gu Office’s Education Support Division at 02-2600-6986.송정숙 기자 (한국통합치유협회장) | gangseo@thekoreantoday.com
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