With the launch of Jemulpo-gu, a new autonomous district created through the reorganization of Incheon’s Jung-gu administrative system on July 1, an exhibition taking the very name ‘Chemulpo’ as its theme will open on the same day. The Incheon Jung-gu Culture Foundation will hold the special exhibition ‘Chemulpo Jogakbo: All about Chemulpo’ in the special exhibition hall of the Incheon Open Port Museum starting July 1.
 [The Korean Today] Poster for the Incheon Open Port Museum special exhibition ‘Chemulpo Jogakbo: All about Chemulpo’ © Reporter Kim Mi-hee |
The exhibition is an occasion to retrace the history embedded in the new district’s name as it comes into being. It stitches together scattered documentary records, old maps, scenic photographs and artworks like a single jogakbo (patchwork wrapping cloth), offering a multidimensional look at the historical and cultural meanings that ‘Chemulpo’ has carried over time.
The exhibition is organized around five themes: ‘Fragments of Records,’ ‘Fragments of Maps,’ ‘Fragments of Scenery,’ ‘Fragments of Expression’ and ‘Other Fragments.’ Each theme reveals a facet of Chemulpo through a different type of material, and together they are designed to bring a larger picture into view.
Visitors can trace how Chemulpo’s appearance changed over different periods through traces of the name written as ‘Chemulpo’ in foreign documents and maps, materials related to ‘Jemulpo City,’ which was briefly used just after Liberation, and video footage capturing the port of Chemulpo in the 1910s.
Drawing on various maps and materials, the exhibition also sheds light on how Chemulpo’s boundaries have shifted over time and on the spatial extent of the newly launched Jemulpo-gu. It introduces Chemulpo-related names that remain in use in various places today, showing how place names of the past are connected to the living spaces of present-day residents.
A foundation official said, “This exhibition was planned to cast new light on the diverse meanings and stories held in the name ‘Chemulpo’ by weaving different materials into one,” adding, “We hope it will serve as an occasion for visitors to gain a deeper understanding of the region’s history and identity through the many faces of Chemulpo embedded in records and spaces, scenery and culture.”
The exhibition runs for about one year and eight months, from July 1 to Feb. 28, 2027, in the special exhibition hall of the Incheon Open Port Museum. More details are available on the foundation’s website (jcf.or.kr).
[ Reporter Kim Mi-hee: incheonsouth@thekoreantoday.com ]
Become a Local Ambassador Apply as Branch Director The Korean Today — Nam-Incheon
 |
Leave a Reply