E2024-G071

Sounds of the City: Gwangju’s Music Culture

Narrative

Gwangju’s musical culture reflects the sensibilities of the city, shaped largely by its record shops and music listening rooms. 25-hour Music Store, founded in 1977 by Ha Tae-heung and later run by Song Hye-yeong and Sin Hyeon-seop, has long introduced a wide range of music from its location on Chungjang-ro Road. Myeongeumsa was first opened in 1980 by Yi Seon-ho in front of the Dongbu Police Station and was relocated in 2019 to the used-book street in Gyerim-dong. Its thousands of LPs, tapes, and CDs greet visitors with stories accumulated over decades.

Beethoven Music Listening Room, a representative listening space in Gwangju, opened in 1982 on Chungjang-ro Road and moved in 1987 to the Geumhyang Building on Geumnam-ro Road, where it continues to offer a dedicated setting for classical music appreciation. Operated by Yi Jeong-ok, it remains a symbolic venue known for upholding the tradition of attentive and respectful listening to classical music.