Strategy and Social Interaction for Making Creative Community: Comparative Study on Two Cities of Crafts in South Korea

Abstract

This study aims to explore the different strategies of the crafts cities on utilizing local cultural assets and socio-economic potentials. Building a culturally creative community has been based on cultural and place-making strategies which include cultural-political factors, i.e. sustainability, authenticity, inclusiveness, network, and economic effect. Icheon became the chair city of the crafts and folk arts division of UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in 2018 and has been transforming into a global city that is actively leading cultural exchanges. However, Cheongju was dropped at the preliminary domestic UCCN competition, then the city tries to reconsider a new framework for crafts and city identity. The cultural-political factors contribute to the forming of cultural milieu, place-specific identity, and various cultural expressions, which are the dimensions of the creative communities. Policymakers and stakeholders need to consider the importance of not only the strategic development of cultural assets itself but also social interaction regarding place identity and social empathy in order to achieve sustainable regional development.