Pohang History and Culture Enjoyment Hub, 'City Museum' to Be Established!

Pohang City Museum Passes Final Preliminary Feasibility Evaluation for Establishing a Public Museum

To Be Built as a Citizen-Friendly Complex Cultural Facility within Yeonorang Seonyeo Theme Park

The Pohang City Museum, representing the history and culture of Pohang, will finally be established.

Yeonorang Seonyeo Theme Park, the planned site for the museum construction.

On the 10th, Pohang City passed the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s “Preliminary Feasibility Evaluation for the Establishment of Public Museums,” which was applied for the construction of the city museum. This achievement came after thorough preparation and persistent efforts following a setback last year.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s “Preliminary Feasibility Evaluation for the Establishment of Public Museums” has been implemented since 2014 to prevent indiscriminate establishment and poor management of public museums. Although it is the first step in building a museum, the evaluation criteria are strict, making it the biggest hurdle.

Many local governments submit applications to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to build museums, but since the system’s implementation, only 60 out of 190 applications have passed (as of the first half of 2023), less than one-third, highlighting the difficulty. Therefore, Pohang City Museum’s “appropriate” rating is considered highly significant.

The Pohang City Museum will be constructed with a total project cost of 46 billion KRW, including national and provincial subsidies. It will have one basement floor and three above-ground floors, with a total floor area of 8,240 square meters. It will be built as a citizen-friendly complex cultural facility, including five exhibition halls, an education experience room, a library, and convenience spaces.

The construction site was confirmed as the “Yeonorang Seonyeo Theme Park site” based on the results of the Construction Promotion Advisory Committee meeting composed of related experts. Above all, securing a storage facility of more than 1,300 square meters is expected to resolve the long-standing issue of Pohang’s numerous cultural heritages being kept away from their hometown.

Pohang is a “treasure trove of cultural heritage” preserving various relics and artifacts from the prehistoric era to modern times. However, due to the lack of facilities and organizations for professional and systematic research and exhibition, it has not received much attention. Therefore, through the establishment of the Pohang City Museum, it is expected to establish Pohang’s identity with its long history and serve as a central point for advancing as a representative historical and cultural city of the East Sea region.

Additionally, with the International Exhibition Convention Center, which will serve as a global hub for human exchange and cooperation, scheduled for completion by the end of 2026, the establishment of the city museum is expected to elevate Pohang’s prestige by representing both internationality and cultural identity through these two institutions.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok said, “Passing this preliminary evaluation is a great achievement made possible by the earnest wishes of 500,000 Pohang citizens,” and added, “We will make every effort to prepare so that the Pohang City Museum, which will establish our local identity and provide citizens with opportunities to enjoy cultural heritage, can open successfully.”

Pohang City plans to accelerate the project aiming for the museum’s opening in 2027, following the local finance investment review by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and architectural and design competitions.

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