Ministry of Strategy and Finance Opens Book Café-Style Lounge 'Seodamjae'... Park Honggeun Vows to Make It a Multi-Purpose Cultural Space Connecting People and the Community

Partnering with Local Bookstores “Kkume Mungo” and “Chaekbang Eight”
Offering Curated Book Selections and Personalized Recommendations

Breaking away from the traditional rigid library model focused solely on book storage and lending, an open, integrated cultural space has been created within Government Complex Sejong. This new library is designed not only as a place for employees to relax and interact, but also as a hub for mutual growth with local independent bookstores.

Seodamjae, a newly established library in Building 5 of the Sejong Government Complex. Ministry of Strategy and Finance.

On July 16, Park Honggeun, Minister of Strategy and Finance, held an opening ceremony for the newly established library “Seodamjae” in Building 5 of Government Complex Sejong, attended by representatives of local bookstores and authors from the Sejong area. In line with the growing trend of e-book usage, Seodamjae has boldly reduced physical shelving space and converted the area into a book café-style lounge. Through a book curation collaboration with local small business owners, the library is expected to present a new cooperative model for public institution libraries.

"A Room Where Books and Stories Stay"... Transformation into a Book Café-Style Communication Space with Reduced Shelving

“Seodamjae” is a name chosen from an internal staff contest, containing the meaning “a space (jae) where books (seo) and stories (dam) stay.” Traditionally, libraries in public institutions have focused on tightly storing large volumes of paper books, leading to complaints that it was difficult and uninviting for employees to visit and rest. To address this, the Ministry has dramatically reduced unnecessary shelving areas due to the expansion of mobile and electronic book services, and instead remodeled the space into a sophisticated book café-style lounge where employees can comfortably relax and converse.

The most distinctive feature is the establishment of a mutually beneficial cooperation system with the regional neighborhood bookstore ecosystem. At the first part of the opening event, the Ministry signed a joint business agreement with leading independent bookstores in the area, such as “Kkume Mungo Second Story” in Daepyeong-dong, Sejong, and “Chaekbang Eight” in Jochiwon-eup.

Under the agreement, a dedicated “One Bookshelf Corner” will be set up and operated inside Seodamjae. Each month, local bookstores will propose new reading themes to the Ministry, curate and supply selections of books with their own creative recommendations and comments. As a result, rather than just relying on bestseller lists from major online bookstores or standardized book collections, employees can now conveniently access hidden gems that reflect the unique perspective and tastes of neighborhood bookstores right within the government complex.

Moreover, the Ministry plans to provide tangible market opportunities for local small business owners by prioritizing the purchase of staff-requested books from these regional bookstores for library placement.

Author Kim Iseol's Invited Book Concert Receives Enthusiastic Response... Fostering the Space as a Hub for Regional Cultural Growth

The second part of the opening ceremony featured a book concert with Kim Iseol, a novelist from the region, themed “Reading Novels to Reflect on Life.” Departing from the typical lecture format, the event allowed participating employees to engage in genuine dialogue, freely discussing themes of life, daily routine, and solace through characters and passages from novels. The Ministry plans to continue regularly inviting local authors and organizing small-scale cultural events, thereby infusing Government Complex Sejong with a warm and vibrant cultural atmosphere.

In his congratulatory remarks, Minister Park stated, “Local bookstores are the very roots of our cultural ecosystem and serve as precious cultural centers that form the living territory of residents. We will actively support Seodamjae so it can embrace the cultural diversity nurtured by small bookstores in Sejong and establish itself as a multi-purpose cultural space connecting people and the community through books.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.