The Estate of Late Photography Master Lee Kyung-mo Donated to Gwangyang City

Donation of Over 50,000 Film Materials and About 300 Cameras

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik] Gwangyang City, Jeollanam-do announced on the 23rd that Lee Seung-jun, the bereaved family member of the late Lee Kyung-mo, has decided to donate about 50,000 films of Lee Kyung-mo to Gwangyang City.

This donation was made through continuous consultations between the city and Lee Seung-jun to honor the achievements of the late Lee Kyung-mo.

Visiting Mayor Jeong In-hwa of Gwangyang City, Lee Seung-jun stated that he would unconditionally donate about 50,000 film materials of Lee Kyung-mo, along with notebooks, stationery, and over 300 cameras in his possession, and agreed to the use of photo copyrights and the utilization of the materials in future public and policy projects promoted by the city.

Accordingly, the city plans to classify and organize the donated films in the first half of 2023, build a film database, input metadata to uniquely identify the order of all materials, hold an academic conference, and promote the registration of the collection as a national registered cultural heritage in 2024.

Lee Seung-jun, the bereaved family member, said, “Despite the harsh weather conditions, I came today to make this donation,” and added, “I hope the donated materials will be widely used not only in Gwangyang City but also in the history of photography in our country in various ways.”

Mayor Jeong In-hwa of Gwangyang City said, “I thank Lee Seung-jun for donating the valuable photographic materials of the late Lee Kyung-mo, which are precious to the history of photography in our country,” and added, “We will systematically organize the donated materials and prepare the foundation for applying for national registered cultural heritage designation as well as promoting the construction of the Lee Kyung-mo Memorial Hall linked with the city’s cultural projects.”

The late Lee Kyung-mo (1926?2001) served as the head of the photography department at Honam Newspaper (the predecessor of Gwangju Ilbo), was a founding member of the Korea Photographers Association, received the Proud Jeonnam Award, published works such as “The Scene of the Turbulent Period” and “Lee Kyung-mo Photo Collection,” and was a figure who made a significant mark in the history of Korean photography.

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik hss79@asiae.co.kr

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