[Interview] Seong Jang-hyun, Yongsan District Mayor: "Establishing the 'Yongsan History Museum' to Enhance Urban Competitiveness"

To Find Yongsan's Future Growth Engine in Historical and Cultural Tourism, Focus on Collecting High-Value Artifacts Reflecting Yongsan's History and Culture for the 'Yongsan History Museum' to Be Built Next Year... The Museum Will Be Remodeled and Established in the Former Railroad Hospital Building in Hangangno-dong (Registered Cultural Property No. 428)

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “There is an old saying: ‘To see a country’s past, go to its museum; to see its present, go to its market; to see its future, go to its library.’ The Yongsan History Museum will break this mold. It will not only connect Yongsan’s past and present but also become a driving force in creating future value.”

This was stated by Seong Jang-hyun, Mayor of Yongsan District, in an interview with Asia Economy, expressing that Yongsan’s future growth engine lies in historical and cultural tourism.

The Yongsan History Museum is the starting point. Mayor Seong emphasized, “A museum should not be a space that only records the past. It will also embody the vision for the future toward peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of ‘Yongsan, the world’s central city.’”

Since the beginning of the 6th local government term, Yongsan District has formed a committee to promote the construction of the history museum, steadily advancing the project with the goal of opening by the end of 2021. The museum will be established by remodeling the old Railroad Hospital building in Hangangno-dong (Registered Cultural Heritage No. 428). It will be a basement one to second-floor structure (total floor area 2,429㎡), with no demolition of the building; only interior structural changes and surrounding maintenance work will be carried out.

Mayor Seong Jang-hyun said, “This year, just before the midpoint of the 7th local government term, is the practical first year for project promotion. This year, we will focus on collecting artifacts with high preservation value that embody Yongsan’s history and culture.”

The district has already secured 1,642 items (as of January 2020), including the white porcelain liquor jar from the Yongsan Hwan Sam Brewery, the 1932 map of Gyeongseong Yongsan City, and the iron signboard of the Yongsan Railroad Car Repair Shop. Moreover, from March 30 to April 8, they will conduct a public acquisition.

Mayor Seong said, “We are not only collecting cultural heritage-level artifacts. All materials that contain Yongsan’s history are subject to purchase, from the daily lives of foreign residents in Yongsan to materials from the 16th-century Imjin War, and documents related to the seven patriots resting in Hyochang Park.”

This year, Yongsan District will also establish a memorial hall for Independence Activist Lee Bong-chang in Hyochang-dong. The district completed all preliminary procedures last year, including changing the use of a small park donated by the Hyochang 4 District Housing Redevelopment Association to a historical park. They plan to build an exhibition hall of about 70㎡ by June.

Mayor Seong added, “Lee Bong-chang, born and raised in Yongsan, was the first member of the Korean Patriotic Organization who threw a bomb at the Japanese Emperor. Through the memorial hall, we will honor his noble spirit of independence and establish Yongsan’s identity as a historical city.”

Yongsan District also plans to designate a (tentative name) Historical and Cultural Museum Special Zone by actively utilizing regional historical and cultural infrastructure. The plan is to link existing museum infrastructure such as the National Museum of Korea, National Hangeul Museum, War Memorial of Korea, as well as the Leeum Museum of Art and Yongsan Craft Museum.

Mayor Seong Jang-hyun said, “Yongsan is home to 300,000 residents, and with redevelopment projects progressing smoothly throughout the city, we must consider value creation after development. If we attract more domestic and foreign tourists through the attractive item of historical and cultural tourism, it will not only create jobs but also revitalize the local economy.”