GONGJU – The 'Gongju Boarding House Village' event is set to return for its second season on September 19th and 20th, following a highly successful first run that attracted over 1,000 visitors in July. Organized by the Gongju Culture & Tourism Foundation, the event aims to transform the city's unique historical boarding house culture into a sustainable and profitable tourism model.

The 'Gongju Hasukdong 1st Street, Season 2' event leverages the city's past as a storytelling resource. Attendees will be able to taste nostalgic foods like old-fashioned lunch boxes, lunchbox-shaped desserts, and corn bread reminiscent of the "national school" era. The event also offers a uniform rental service, allowing visitors to wear retro school uniforms for photo opportunities, providing a direct experience of the "days gone by."

A key feature of the project is its collaboration with local merchants in the Gamyeong-gil area. The goal is to turn these special food items into permanent tourist attractions even after the event concludes. The project, part of the city's "Cultural City" initiative, is also notable for its use of a paid pre-registration system, moving beyond simple free experiences to experiment with directly contributing to the local economy. This approach seeks to promote a resident-led, self-sustaining local economy and lay a foundation for Jung hak-dong to become a new tourist destination even after the government initiative ends.

Kim Ji-gwang, CEO of the Gongju Culture & Tourism Foundation, emphasized that the event is more than a one-off attraction. "This is an experiment to turn Gongju's boarding house culture into a sustainable tourism resource," he said. "We will strive to help Jung hak-dong develop into a new tourist spot where visitors can experience and savor memories, even after the Cultural City project ends."

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