"From Salt Fields to Large-Scale National Industrial Complex"... Incheon City Museum Publishes 'Juan Industrial Complex' in Academic Survey

Juan Industrial Complex [Provided by Incheon City Museum]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] An academic research report documenting the changes in Incheon due to the establishment of industrial complexes has been published, drawing attention.

Incheon Metropolitan Museum announced on the 9th that it has published a research report titled 'Juhan Industrial Complex,' which covers the establishment and transformation process of the Juhan Industrial Complex. This academic research focused on the significance of the large-scale industrial complex development that greatly influenced the formation of present-day Incheon.

The site where the Juhan Industrial Complex currently stands was originally the Juhan Salt Field area, where Korea's first solar salt production was attempted, and until the 1960s, this area was characterized by salt fields and farmland landscapes.

However, under an active export-driven industrialization policy, a large-scale industrial complex was developed in this area, rapidly changing the urban landscape. The establishment of the complex increased the population inflow into the city, leading to the successive development of housing, roads, and other supporting facilities. These changes significantly affected not only the Juhan Industrial Complex area but also the urban landscape of Incheon.

Although the Juhan Industrial Complex played a key role in Incheon's growth into a major city today and has been studied from the perspectives of industrial history and labor movement history, little attention has been paid to the impact of the complex's establishment and decline on the changes in Incheon's urban landscape.

The Metropolitan Museum aimed to document the changes in the cityscape brought about by the development of the Juhan Industrial Complex through this research. The investigation was mainly conducted through literature review and oral history interviews.

Experts from various fields summarized the industrial historical significance of the complex's development and the changes before and after its establishment, while the memories of people who lived through the city's relentless transformation from salt fields to industrial complex were recorded through oral history interviews. Additionally, the current state of the complex was captured from various angles to depict the 'present day' of the Juhan Industrial Complex.

Yoo Donghyun, director of the Incheon Metropolitan Museum, stated, "This research is meaningful because it deals with the 'industrial complex' not as a frozen relic of the past but as something continuously changing and influencing the city and people's lives." He added, "We plan to continue investigations with interest not only in Incheon's archaeology, history, and folklore but also in the ever-changing city and the daily lives of its residents."

The Juhan Industrial Complex research report will be distributed to related institutions such as museums and research institutes nationwide. Any interested citizens can access it on the Incheon Metropolitan Museum website.