Opening of the Korea Customs Service History Exhibition Hall on the 50th Anniversary of Its Establishment

Provided by Korea Customs Service

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The Korea Customs Service is opening an online exhibition hall where the 50-year history of customs can be viewed in one place. The Korea Customs Service celebrated its 50th anniversary on August 27 last year.

On the 12th, the Korea Customs Service announced that it will open an ‘Online History Exhibition Hall’ that showcases items, photos, videos, and other materials related to the history of the Customs Service, organized by theme and era.

The exhibition hall is composed of 10 themes: ▲History of the Korea Customs Service ▲Opening of Ports and Customs ▲Former Commissioners and Vice Commissioners ▲Development of Customs ▲History of Smuggling ▲Smuggling Newspaper Records ▲Customs Administration Going Global ▲Surveillance Boats and Smuggling Vessels ▲Uniform Exhibition ▲Guestbook, and is designed to be viewed with three-dimensional (3D) graphics.

The exhibition covers social issues that occurred at customs, from the origin of the Korea Customs Service in 1970 with the ‘Ministry of Finance Special Audit’ to the smuggling case of Japanese-made Elephant brand electric rice cookers in the 1980s.

Among the exhibited items, the first official seal restored based on the seal impression used by Paul George von M?llendorf (1848?1901), the first General Tax Officer of the Joseon Customs in 1883, and a handwritten commendation letter by President Park Chung-hee encouraging the reform of Gimpo Customs are displayed, which are expected to attract visitors’ interest and curiosity.

M?llendorf was the first Western diplomatic advisor appointed by King Gojong in 1882 upon the recommendation of Li Hongzhang of the Qing Dynasty and served as the first General Tax Officer of Joseon Customs from 1883 to 1885. The Customs refers to what is now the Customs Service, and the General Tax Officer corresponds to the current Commissioner of the Korea Customs Service.

Considering the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Korea Customs Service plans to hold a non-face-to-face online exhibition to bring the public closer to customs administration.

The online exhibition hall, created using the first web design method by a government agency, allows visitors to freely move around in a virtual space and is accessible via mobile devices, enhancing user convenience.

Additionally, a cyber guestbook is provided to collect messages and suggestions left by visitors after viewing the exhibition, with plans to improve the exhibition operation method accordingly.

The exhibition hall can be accessed through the Korea Customs Service website and other channels.

Commissioner Noh Seok-hwan of the Korea Customs Service said, “Starting with the operation of the online exhibition hall, the Korea Customs Service will strengthen communication with the public.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.