On the 3rd, KT&G (CEO, Baek Bok-in) and Mapo-gu Office (Head of Mapo-gu, Yoo Dong-gyun) inked an MOU to reinvigorate the Hongdae Cultural Arts Special Tourism Zone, which has been severely impacted by the extended COVID-19.

Hongdae Festival Street (in front of 65 Eulmadang-ro, Mapo-gu), located in the Hongdae Cultural Arts Special Tourism Zone, was established in June last year around KT&G Sangsangmadang Hongdae with an area of 2800 square meters. Mapo-gu devised a strategy to utilize Hongdae Festival Street as a cultural space that hosts year-round events like culture, art, and festivals, and to establish it as a regional icon. KT&G intends to actively promote it through this partnership.

To begin, KT&G will revitalize Hongdae Festival Street by assisting local cultural and creative endeavors. If a local cultural and artistic group wants to perform on the Hongdae Festival Street, the company will supply Sangsangmadang Hongdae with facilities, space, and staff. Additionally, to help small-scale entrepreneurs in Hongdae extend their distribution channels, a 'win-win cooperation flea market' is hosted on Hongdae Festival Street.

Numerous programs involving Millennials and Gen Z are being developed. At Hongdae Festival Street, 'Busking Audition,' an artist discovery project for emerging musicians, and 'Street Microphone,' which invites celebrities from the fields of culture and art to speak in outdoor lectures, will be introduced. Moreover, YouTube public broadcasts featuring prominent YouTubers are planned.

"It is significant that KT&G Sangsangmadang Hongdae, which has been consistently promoting and discovering new artists to revitalize the festival street in Hongdae, the birthplace of indie culture, is joining this partnership,” said Shim Young-ah, head of KT&G's Social Contribution Office. “Through active communication and exchange with Mapo-gu Office, we will do all possible to encourage the creative activities of various artists on the festival street."

(Photo) Lee Sang-hak (Vice President, right), head of KT&G's Sustainability Management Division, and Yoo Dong-gyun, head of Mapo-gu, pose for a commemorative photo on the 3rd, following the signing of a business agreement for the revitalization of the Hongdae culture and art tourism zone.