What Will Become of the Pompidou and La Scala Projects Backed by Park Hyungjun? Busan City to Decide After Citizen Deliberation in October

What actions will be taken with the cultural and artistic projects initiated by the previous mayor?

The city of Busan will seek the opinions of citizens and the cultural and artistic community regarding the construction of a Pompidou Center branch and the possibility of inviting La Scala for the opening performance of the Busan Opera House, and will make a final decision in October.

Busan City (Mayor Jun Jaesoo) announced on August 11 that it would conduct a deliberative process and direct communication that includes the participation of citizens and members of the cultural and artistic community, in order to promptly resolve two major issues in the local cultural sector.

The city will prepare different deliberation procedures for each issue, taking into account their respective characteristics. It also plans to communicate with the city council and civic organizations to build a broader consensus on these policies.

First, for the “Pompidou Center Branch Construction Project,” a joint inspection team mainly composed of experts will be established in August. This team will review relevant materials, hold meetings, and prepare a final statement regarding the project.

For the “La Scala Invited Performance,” the city intends to gather a wide range of opinions from both the general public and the cultural and artistic sector. It will hold discussion forums with the Busan Opera House Operations Advisory Committee as well as local artists and citizens, and will also conduct a public opinion poll.

Through this process, the city will collect opinions not only on the La Scala invitation performance, but also regarding the Busan Opera House Opening Festival, operational plans, and strategies for establishing a local opera ecosystem.

Based on the outcomes of these deliberations, the city will hold a “Busan City Cultural Cooperation Committee” meeting in September to review both issues. In late September, Mayor Jun Jaesoo will personally participate in a “9th Term Cultural and Artistic Policy Town Hall Meeting” to collect feedback from the city council, local artists, and civic organizations. The town hall will be broadcast live, allowing the mayor to directly present his vision for cultural issues and 9th term cultural and artistic policy to citizens.

After these steps, around the 100th day of mayor Jun’s inauguration, which is expected in early October, Busan City plans to announce its 9th term cultural vision and reveal its final policy decisions on the construction of the Pompidou Center branch and the invitation for La Scala at the Opera House’s opening performance.

Mayor Jun Jaesoo stated, “In addition to presenting a 9th term cultural vision to advance citizens’ cultural rights and strengthen regional cultural and artistic competitiveness, there is an urgent need for swift policy decisions on the two key issues, including the construction of the Pompidou Center branch, which are central topics in the current cultural sector.”

Mayor Jun also commented, “I believe it is necessary to ensure procedural legitimacy and public acceptance by conducting sufficient deliberation through public opinion gathering and hosting the town hall meeting. I will do my utmost to reach a reasonable conclusion that resonates with all citizens.”

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