ABSTRACT
This chapter opens an active discussion on the findings of this research and maps out the first phase in the politics of cultural economy: the emergence of cultural economy in the urban development of the city. Giving a brief background, this chapter touches on how the government’s attempts to re-create Gwangju as a ‘city of art’ and to instrumentalise high-art culture to bolster the city’s economy were initially met with resistance from local citizens. Here I illustrate the struggles and ongoing negotiations between bureaucrats favouring an instrumental approach reinforced by an obsession with becoming a world-class city and civil society members leaning towards a communicative approach focussed on community participation and the inclusion of local history and culture. However, common concern for the economic development of the city tempered their power struggles and a cohesive plan for the success of the city finally became a reality.
