Bonghwa-gun to open community cultural center Wednesday

Bonghwa-gun in North Gyeongsang Province announced Monday that it will officially open the Bonghwa Eoulim Center, a multipurpose community and cultural space designed to bring rest and healing to residents' daily lives, on Wednesday.

The center combines a small public library with a lifestyle and culture facility.

Its core values are slowness, recovery and connection.

Among its signature offerings are an "emotion curation shelf," which recommends books based on a visitor's emotional state, and a "book prescription service" that suggests titles tailored to personal concerns — both aimed at supporting psychological healing through reading.

The center will also offer a wide range of arts and culture programs, focusing on low-intensity, ongoing activities that anyone can join without pressure. These include reading therapy, transcription journaling, nighttime healing reading sessions and meditation.

The center's flagship program, "Starlight Moonlight Reading Camp," draws on Bonghwa's natural surroundings, offering visitors the experience of reading and sharing stories outdoors under the night sky. Officials plan to develop it into a distinctive local cultural program.

The center will also expand community-driven cultural activities, running arts classes in painting, singing and performance, and supporting family reading days and small club activities to encourage intergenerational exchange and community engagement.

"The Bonghwa Eoulim Center will become a new cultural hub where residents can find rest and comfort in their everyday lives and connect with one another," said Kim Seong-gyu, head of Bonghwa-gun's culture and tourism division. "We will build a healing-oriented lifestyle and culture model that brings together reading, arts and community activities."