"Majestic Iksan Hwangdeung Seoksan Reborn as a World-Class Art Space"

Interview with Kim Daedong, General Director of Hwangdeung Art & Culture
Iksan Hwangdeung Seoksan, the largest quarry in Korea, 500m wide * 300m long
October 2, '1st Hwangdeung Seoksan International Media Art Facade' to be held

"When I first visited Hwangdeung Stone Quarry, I was amazed to see that despite its long history, it had a large square-shaped hall inside. The shape of the quarry resembled an underground circular stadium about 100 meters below ground."

Kim Daedong, CEO of Hwangdeung Art & Culture. ? Photographer Guseongsu. [Photo by Hwangdeung Art & Culture]

Kim Daedong, General Director (PM) of Hwangdeung Art & Culture, expressed his impressions upon first encountering Hwangdeung Stone Quarry. Located in Iksan, Jeonbuk, Hwangdeung Stone Quarry is the largest quarry in South Korea, measuring 500 meters in length, 300 meters in width, and 120 meters in depth. It currently forms a rounded rectangular space with massive vertical walls and is being developed into a cultural and artistic park.

Director Kim explained, "According to current technology, the quarrying volume of Hwangdeung Stone Quarry is expected to last about 10 years, but mining experts predict that as technology advances, this period will shorten. In about eight years, Hwangdeung Stone Quarry will transform into a cultural space capable of hosting various contents on its massive rectangular vertical walls, while remaining the largest quarry in the country."

Previously, Director Kim served as an advisory committee member for transforming a closed quarry in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, into the eco-friendly cultural and artistic space ‘Pocheon Art Valley.’ To develop Hwangdeung Stone Quarry into a cultural and artistic park similar to Pocheon Art Valley, he established Hwangdeung Art & Culture last August. He emphasized, "Hwangdeung Stone Quarry can become an excellent tourist resource representing not only Iksan City but also Jeonbuk Province."

Virtual rendering of media art demonstration at Hwangdeung Seoksan Culture and Arts Park.
Photo by Hwangdeung Art & Culture

There were many ups and downs before the company was established. Kim Jongcheol, CEO of Hwangdeung Industry, which is developing Hwangdeung Stone Quarry, visited three times, each time engaging in long conversations of about four hours, asking Director Kim to take charge of the Hwangdeung Stone Quarry cultural and artistic park project. Director Kim admitted that he hesitated a lot because it was a difficult and challenging project requiring certainty that the business would be completed, long-term commitment, and patience to persuade many people. However, he joined the project trusting CEO Kim’s strong will, rational thinking, and driving force.

On the 2nd and 3rd of this month, the ‘1st Hwangdeung Stone Quarry International Media Art Facade’ was held at Hwangdeung Stone Quarry. Baek Minju, a guest performer from the National Gugak Center, performed on the daegeum (bamboo flute), and media art works by artists such as Lee Inam, Lee Dona, Kim Changkyum, and Zhang Xiaotao (China) were projected onto an 80-meter-high, 1.5-kilometer-long asbestos screen.

Starting next year, an ‘International Media Art Biennale’ will be held, and regular performances including gugak (traditional Korean music), classical music, large-scale singer concerts, and fashion shows are also planned.

One advantage of Hwangdeung Stone Quarry is its location just about 10 minutes from the city center. Usually, quarries require purchasing land, building roads, and extensive foundational work for utilities such as electricity, which incurs huge costs. However, since Hwangdeung Stone Quarry is located within the city, these costs are not incurred, making it economically advantageous.

Hwangdeung Seoksan, located about 10 minutes from the city center. Its size and shape resemble a large stadium.
[Photo provided by Hwangdeung Art & Culture]

Hwangdeung Stone refers to granite quarried in Iksan, Jeonbuk, recognized for its highest quality. It was used to create stone cultural assets such as the Mireuksaji Stone Pagoda (National Treasure No. 11), the Wanggungri Five-story Stone Pagoda (National Treasure No. 289), and the Seokjo Buddha Statue in Yeondong-ri, Samgi-myeon (Treasure No. 45), all located in Iksan.

The granite from Iksan has low iron content, is hard, and retains its original color, which is why it has been used since the Three Kingdoms period for making Buddha statues and stone pagodas. Currently, Hwangdeung Industry is the only supplier of Hwangdeung Stone in Jeonbuk Iksan, quarrying from Hwangdeung Stone Quarry. The Hwangdeung Stone extracted is supplied as raw stone for construction, landscaping, and civil engineering to about 190 stone processing companies in Iksan City and has been used in historic buildings such as the Blue House State Guest House, the National Assembly Building, and the Independence Hall of Korea.

Director Kim stated, "Hwangdeung Stone carries various stories and cultural values, including the tale of the stonemason Asadal, known as a descendant of Baekje, Hwangdeung Station as the transportation platform for Hwangdeung Stone, the ‘Mokdosori’ labor song sung during transportation, and Hwangdeung Bibimbap, a dish known among Hwangdeung stonemasons. We are promoting a 10-year long-term project to transform Hwangdeung Stone Quarry into a cultural and artistic park infused with tradition, art, and culture, with a total project budget of 17 billion KRW and an additional 2 billion KRW for facility operation costs. We plan to attract private investment for various cultural contents in the future."

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