First Reveal of Chokseokru Reconstruction Design... Gyeongsang National University Integration 1st Anniversary Exhibition 'Jinnonggwan, Embracing Jinju'

A Glimpse of 110 Years of Gyeongsang National University History and the Transformation of the Modern City Jinju

Appearance of Jinnonggwan during the Japanese colonial period.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] The Gyeongsang National University Museum and Archives are holding a special exhibition titled "Jinnonggwan, Embracing Jinju" to commemorate the first anniversary of the university integration.

This special exhibition is held to mark the first anniversary of the integration of the former Gyeongsang National University and the former Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology, showcasing the renovated Jinnonggwan at the Chilam Campus to the public.

Jinnonggwan is a modern architectural structure built in 1938 during the Japanese colonial period. It served as a cradle that produced talents who led the independence movement, the equality movement, and the modern culture of Jinju and Korea.

The Gyeongsang National University Museum and Archives reorganized the exhibits held in Jinnonggwan and uncovered hidden images and records of Jinju’s modern and contemporary urban history from the archived materials, improving quality and restoring colors to recreate the appearance of that time.

The exhibition is planned in three parts. Part 1 shows the history of Jinnong and the old school appearance, tracing the history from the Joseon Dynasty’s Nakyukjae.

Part 2 displays photographs of Jinju held in Jinnonggwan. Many old photos reveal the entire cityscape of Jinju from 100 years ago, various facilities inside Jinju Fortress, ferries, and movie theaters.

Part 3 exhibits proud figures produced by Jinnong and folk materials from that era.

This exhibition will reveal for the first time in Korea the "Design Specifications" and "Blueprints" used during the reconstruction of Chokseokru, which was burned down during the Korean War. These valuable materials were preserved by the descendants of Mr. Lee Ja-yoon, who was the site supervisor of the reconstruction work, and are considered crucial for understanding the history of Chokseokru’s reconstruction.

The photographs unearthed through this exhibition project will be published as a special exhibition catalog titled "Jinnonggwan, Embracing Jinju" with support from the National Jinju Museum and distributed to visitors.

The exhibition opening ceremony will be held on February 23 at 2 p.m. at the outdoor event hall in front of Jinnonggwan. The ceremony will proceed for one hour, including guest introductions, an overview of Jinnonggwan’s history, opening remarks (Museum Director), welcome speech (Vice President of Research), congratulatory speeches (Director of National Jinju Museum, the first Museum Director of Jinnonggwan), ribbon cutting with colorful strings, and exhibition viewing.

General public viewing will be available for free from February 24, Monday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

President Kwon Soon-gi said, "The opening of Jinnonggwan and the holding of this exhibition will be an important opportunity for the region and the university to share the value of university integration."

President Kwon also expressed sincere gratitude to the former presidents and directors who have preserved Jinnonggwan, alumni, many institutions and donors who provided exhibition materials, and especially thanked Director Jang Sang-hoon of the National Jinju Museum and related personnel who cooperated in publishing the exhibition catalog.

Museum Director Cha Young-gil and Archives Director Lee Je-gwal stated, "We will make good use of the value of Jinnonggwan and the materials held here to develop Jinnonggwan into a precious local cultural space in Jinju."

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