Imsil Cheese History and Culture Center Gains Attention as a Hot Spot for Educational Tourism

Published 08 May.2023 14:53(KST)

The Imsil Cheese History and Culture Center, where visitors can see the history of Jeonbuk ImsilN Cheese at a glance, has gained great popularity since its opening and is attracting attention as a hot spot for educational tourism.

The county announced on the 8th that on the 5th, a celebration event for the opening of the Imsil Cheese History and Culture Center was held with about 100 attendees, including County Governor Sim Min, Fran?ois Bongtang, the Ambassador of Belgium to Korea, and Lee Seong-jae, Chairman of the Imsil County Council.

Imsil Cheese History and Culture Center has gained great popularity since its opening, attracting attention as a hot spot for educational tourism.
[Photo by Imsil-gun]

The construction project of the Imsil Cheese History and Culture Center, which contains the history of Father Ji Jeong-hwan and ImsilN Cheese, is an underground building with a total project cost of 9.1 billion KRW and a total floor area of 1,683㎡.

After the passing of Father Ji Jeong-hwan in April 2019, the county, through long consultations with the government, obtained approval for the project plan from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in May 2020 and proceeded with the project.

The interior of the History and Culture Center is composed of a Cheese Hall, exhibition rooms, cheese manufacturing and aging rooms, a game zone, and a cheese shop.

The Cheese Hall expresses milk, the raw material of cheese, as a waterfall and is designed as a space where visitors can relax and heal.

The interior exhibition of the exhibition rooms conveys the development of the Imsil cheese industry that began with Father Ji Jeong-hwan, the current status of dairy processing companies in the area, and the cheese manufacturing and aging processes. Using the latest exhibition techniques and programs, visitors can enjoy interactive experiences while learning about Father Ji Jeong-hwan and the history of ImsilN Cheese.

In the cheese manufacturing and aging rooms, visitors can observe the process of making and aging cheese firsthand.

The cheese shop offers cheese menu items developed directly in the manufacturing and aging rooms, providing a special opportunity to taste unique flavors only available in Imsil. Various ImsilN Cheese goods are also displayed to satisfy visitors’ interests.

Photo zones located throughout the History and Culture Center also received enthusiastic responses from visitors.

Many visitors enjoyed leisure time in the healing space around the milk waterfall in the Cheese Hall, busy taking memorable photos, while the communication board was filled with numerous congratulatory messages from visitors celebrating the opening.

At the opening celebration, first-generation cheese makers who developed and researched cheese alongside Father Ji Jeong-hwan, as well as representatives of dairy farms currently producing ImsilN Cheese, attended and brightened the event.

In particular, the first-generation members reminisced about memories with Father Ji Jeong-hwan and spent a long time sharing old stories with colleagues they had not seen in a while, lingering in front of old photographs.

Fran?ois Bongtang, the Ambassador of Belgium to Korea, and his spouse showed special affection for Father Ji by visiting his grave at Chimeongjasan in Jeonju the day before and attending the opening ceremony.

County Governor Sim Min said, “Many people attended to celebrate the opening of the Imsil Cheese History and Culture Center,” adding, “We hope for continued cooperation and interest so that we can witness the development of ImsilN Cheese together.”