A digital and cultural complex for young people will be built on the site of the former Seongdong Detention Center in Garak-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said on the 19th that it had selected a consortium led by WeBest Asset Management as the preferred bidder in a site-based public-private investment project to develop Parcel 4 of the special planning district at the former detention center. The city said it had secured the site as land for a youth education and culture complex through public contributions, citing the large number of young people living nearby.
The WeBest Asset Management consortium proposed a future-oriented cultural complex tailored to young people, combining digital skills training with culture, education and leisure programs as well as content creation and hands-on experiences. The plan calls for young people to explore career paths and build skills through a range of activities, while also creating an open cultural space for local residents.
Under the public-private partnership program, the city first discloses information on sites available for development and private-sector bidders then submit business proposals. Seoul launched the program in 2024, the first of its kind in the country, to spur development of publicly owned land. "Through this competition, we will add the private sector's creative planning capabilities to the former Seongdong Detention Center site to provide young people with space to grow and be active, and local residents with a cultural hub in their daily lives," said An Dae-hee, Seoul's director general for future space planning.