Busan is good

Busan Metropolitan City Selected as an Outstanding Institution in the 2025 Evaluation of the Comprehensive Library Development Plan

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it has been selected as an outstanding metropolitan government in the ‘2025 Performance Evaluation of the 4th Comprehensive Library Development Plan’ hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The award ceremony was held on April 10 at the “Library Day 2026” commemorative event at Seonyudo Library in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, where the city received the National Library Committee Chairperson’s Award under the President.

This achievement reflects efforts to tailor the national five-year plan to local conditions, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of policy implementation. Centered on the Busan Library, the city established a strong policy governance system in close cooperation with a total of 57 public libraries affiliated with district and county governments and the Office of Education, achieving comprehensive results.

In particular, the project titled “Establishment and Operation of a Community Archive Centered on Libraries” was recognized as an innovative model for recording and preserving Busan’s identity and was selected as a best practice.

This project is a public-private collaborative documentation initiative aimed at establishing Busan’s historical value. The Busan Library worked closely with 16 district and county cultural centers and 47 related institutions to discover and database 5,228 important records, including photographs, historical documents, and maps. These are currently provided to citizens online through the “Memory of Busan” website.

This demonstrates that libraries are successfully establishing their social role beyond simple book lending spaces by recording valuable local assets and passing them on to future generations. The city plans to continue expanding the archive with budget investment this year and further strengthen its function as a regional cultural hub.

In addition, the city has achieved various key outcomes by proactively responding to rapidly changing policy environments such as low birth rates and population aging, advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), and changes in reading behavior.

Above all, efforts were concentrated on enhancing global status and strengthening Busan’s unique brand value. The city successfully attracted the “World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) 2026,” the largest international conference in the library sector, and the “Busan Sea Library,” which reflects the symbolism of a maritime capital, has drawn participation from over 170,000 citizens, establishing itself as an icon of Busan-style reading culture.

The realization of a “15-minute city” through spatial innovation has also been accelerated. The children’s complex cultural space “Deullak Nallak” has been densely established in public and small libraries, strengthening its role as an intergenerational cultural playground. In addition, the city has successfully promoted a strategy to create library landmarks through initiatives such as the Yeonje Cartoon Library, the nation’s first comic library, and Deokcheon Library, which revitalized a closed school site into a regional hub.

Solidarity for social inclusion and digital innovation has also deepened. Through the “Happy Book Sharing” initiative involving local bookstores and companies, the city has established a mutually beneficial reading model connecting the economy and culture. Furthermore, universal welfare has been realized through programs such as the “One Book One Busan” campaign and customized programs for information-disadvantaged groups.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “This award is the result of the collective efforts of the city, districts, counties, and the Office of Education to create a library culture that permeates citizens’ daily lives,” adding, “We will continue to focus our policy capabilities so that libraries can serve as shared platforms leading the growth of local communities and as key cultural hubs.”