[Photo Journal] Changwon National Industrial Complex 50 Years: Yesterday & Today in Photos

Time Records of Local Documentary Photographer Yang Hae-kwang

The Changwon National Industrial Complex has reached its 50th anniversary since its establishment. On April 1, 1974, the development of the Changwon industrial base was designated and announced, and on April 14, the construction of the Jeokhyeon complex began.

View of Changwon from the entrance of Anmin Hill, Anmin-dong.
[Photo by Yang Haegwang]

Over half a century, the vast fields were gradually transformed into an industrial complex amid the roaring sounds of heavy machinery, resulting in over 2,800 factories established on approximately 3.08 million pyeong of industrial land.

More than 122,000 workers have sweated on site, contributing to the national economy.

It is said to be a dramatic transformation. Should we call it a "wall sea battle"? Within this grand history of economic development, the cozy old scenes that we want to see again become nostalgic.

With the help of Yang Hye-gwang (age 75), a local photographer who has organized numerous photographic works while working as a documentary photographer in the region, we look back on the footprints of the past in a series of time records.

Photo 1 shows the view of the Changwon fields from the uphill entrance of Anmin Hill in Anmin-dong in August 1973. At that time, the Changwon fields encompassed Sangnam-myeon, Ungnam-myeon, and Changwon-myeon in Changwon-gun. The Changwon Seongsan Shell Midden, an Iron Age archaeological site from the Gaya period, is located here. On November 2, 1974, it was designated as Historic Site No. 240, Masan Oedong Seongsan Shell Midden of the Republic of Korea. In 2011, it was renamed Changwon Seongsan Shell Midden and became the cradle of the Changwon Industrial Complex’s machinery industry district.

Photo 2 shows the industrial complex cityscape taken from the same location in March 2014, marking 40 years since the establishment of the Changwon Industrial Complex. The vibrant energy of the thriving machinery industry complex is evident.

The company visible at the front of the photo (with a blue roof) is Goryeo Gangseon Co., Ltd., established in March 1978. Also visible in the photo are Shinwoo Ditech Co., Ltd., Daelim Motor, SeAH Aerospace & Defense Materials Co., Ltd., Dongyang Industry, and Sammi Metal.

Photo 3 shows the industrial complex cityscape taken from the same location on February 27, 2024, marking the 50th anniversary of the complex’s establishment.

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