Seoul Animation Center
 Seoul Animation Center in Seoul
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Native name
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서울 애니메이션 센터 |
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| Founded | May 1999 Seoul, South Korea |
| Headquarters | 126 Soparo (8-145) Sopa-ro Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea |
| Services | Movie theater, museum, library, exhibitions, experiential education |
| Website | www |
The Seoul Animation Center (Korean: 서울 애니메이션 센터) is an animation and cartoon museum and activities center located on the hillside of Namsan in Jung-gu, Seoul. It was established by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in May 1999 to support the South Korean comics and animation industry and later expanded to include games and characters. It is operated and managed by the Seoul Business Agency (SBA) and jointly hosts the Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival (SICAF), and other art exhibits and festivals at the center and on nearby Cartoon Street.
The center, established in May 1999, is located in Yejang-dong on the northern edge of Namsan Mountain, and occupies four separate buildings which were constructed in 1962. It hosts exhibitions, education programmes and festivals and receives more than 250,000 visitors every year.
The surrounding neighborhood was developed during the Japanese colonial era and housed the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, which formed in 1961, with their interrogation section in one of the center's buildings. The area has been dubbed ‘Animation Town’, and includes Cartoon Street, which entrance is directly across the street from the center The center is an approximate ten minute walk to Myeong-dong Station, downhill along Cartoon Street; with and Namsan's cable car and walking courses nearby, up the mountain.
The center is managed by the Seoul Business Agency (SBA), which is affiliated with the city government, and provides support to small and medium-sized venture companies. In addition to its own activities, the center partners with SICAF as host for their film festival, and holds events on Cartoon Street, like the 2014 Cartoon Street Festival which featured art and Korean cultural experiences.
Facilities inside the complex, which is decorated with colourful murals of cartoon characters, include a library, cinema and exhibition hall. The entrance courtyard has cartoon character statues, among them the popular , Pororo, and Robot Taekwon V, with Dooly the Little Dinosaur and Pucca inside. The center hosts exhibitions and experience-based programs that focus on characters from domestic manhwa and animations. The rooftop garden was featured as the house of Han-sung, played by cast member Lee Sun-kyun, in the Korean drama, The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince.
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