The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has selected Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province as South Korea's representative city of culture for a joint project with China and Japan.
 
The ministry said Wednesday that it chose Cheongju as South Korea's pick for its 2015 East Asia Cities of Culture initiative. 
 
It said the selection was made through expert assessment of the city's cultural properties, including the Cheongju International Craft Biennale, the Chojeong mineral spring and the Cheongju fortress.
 
Under the joint program, the designated culture cities of South Korea, China and Japan will conduct cultural exchanges for one year. Cheongju plans to globally promote the experience of reviving its old tobacco factory, once the largest in Korea, into a cultural space. 
 
The East Asia Cities of Culture designation for 2015 will be the second of its kind. This year, South Korea's Gwangju, Japan's Yokohama and China's Quanzhou enjoyed the honor.