There is a medal with the clear signature ‘President Park Chung-hee, Prime Minister Choi Gyu-ha’. This was received by Kim Jae-han, head of Dongmyeong Mining in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province, in February 1979, saying, ‘You have greatly contributed to our country’s industrial development through increased coal production… ‘It says. A winter coat can be seen next to it. It was a gift from the President to 14,238 miners across the country in 1983. As the “Jeungsan Boguk (增産報國)” plaque in Mungyeong, Gyeongsangbuk-do hanging above it indicates, mining a lot of coal was synonymous with the country’s industrial development.
The ‘Coal Age’ special exhibition, which opened at the National Museum of Korean History in front of Gwanghwamun in Seoul on the 26th and runs until September 22nd, is an exhibition that looks back on the modern history of coal, which was the driving force of Korea’s growth industry and fuel for the common people. This exhibition, held jointly with the coal museums of Mungyeong, Boryeong, and Taebaek, features over 130 items, including anthracite lumps mined in Taebaek, a jackhammer, a huge coal mine tool in Boryeong, and works by artist Hwang Jae-hyung, who is called a miner painter. Shows the point.
It shows the difficult lives of miners and coal mining villages who were always exposed to industrial accidents, as well as a variety of materials ranging from work clothes and safety helmets used in coal mines, dust masks, spine protectors, oxygen and dust meters to coal mine workers’ salary envelopes, welfare slips, and manual briquette makers. . There is also an experience corner where you can make your own ‘briquette soap’. Director Hansu said, “At a time when all mining facilities in Korea except for one private coal mine are scheduled to close next year, we tried to reexamine the legacy of the coal industry as a foundation for the future cultural industry.”
