Shinan-gun to Establish Korea's First 'Island Life History Museum' on Jaeun-do

Completion of Basic Plan and Feasibility Study for Island Life History Museum Construction

Investigation of Life History Data in Island Areas Nationwide Including Jindo, Wando, Tongyeong, and Ongjin... Publication of 7 Books

Scenic view of Sinan-gun government office Photo by Asia Economy

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seo Young-seo] Sinan-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Park Woo-ryang) completed the final report meeting for the basic plan and feasibility study service to build the "Korean Island Life History Museum," which highlights the importance of islands in Korea, on the 30th of last month and is now actively promoting its construction.

According to the county on the 6th, as the local government with the largest number of islands nationwide, totaling 1,025, it has been steadily working to raise awareness of the value of islands and to promote and pass on the diversity of island culture. It is accelerating the construction of the country's first museum themed on island life history for more systematic research and transmission.

In this regard, the county secured the site by purchasing the closed Jaeun Dubong Elementary School in 2009 and has been continuously investigating and collecting island cultural materials since 2011 in collaboration with the Mokpo National University Institute of Island Culture.

In particular, over the past 10 years, they have investigated island life history materials not only from Sinan-gun’s islands such as Heuksan, Hongdo, and Gageodo but also from island regions nationwide including Jindo, Wando, Tongyeong, and Ongjin, and have organized the findings into seven published books.

The collected materials amount to a total of 4,860 items, including 1,254 major island region life tools from Sinan-gun and others, 511 family life documents of Moon Chae-ok from Uido, and 1,767 photographic materials depicting life in Sinan-gun.

The collected life tools exhibit various characteristics depending on the natural and living environments of the islands and contain stories about how the islanders lived, making them valuable resources for examining the life history of island people.

Although these are island life tools, a significant portion of the collection relates to agriculture rather than fishing. This reflects the ancestors’ wisdom in overcoming the difficulties of island regions, which lacked water and land, through unique tools, giving them high academic value.

Regarding the museum construction, Sinan-gun plans to carry out preliminary administrative procedures and officially begin building the "Korean Island Life History Museum" in 2023 with an investment of 15 billion KRW.

Governor Park Woo-ryang said, "The islands that have protected Korea were made possible by the efforts of island residents who overcame the natural environment and made the islands their home," adding, "The life tools created and used by island residents tell many stories."

He also stated, "Sinan-gun will continue to strive to preserve the identity of the islands without forgetting the efforts of our ancestors."

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