"Colors of Yeongcheon 60 Years Ago Preserved as Hometown History"

Jeongho Lee of Sinnyung-myeon Donates 70 Rare Color Photos from the 1960s to Yeongcheon City

Documented by an American Missionary

Highly Valuable Historical Records to Be Preserved and Utilized by the City Museum

On March 23, Yeongcheon City received a donation of 70 printed photographs vividly depicting everyday life in Yeongcheon during the 1960s from donor Jeongho Lee, a native of Sinnyung-myeon, at a ceremony held in the mayor's office, and presented him with a plaque of appreciation.

The photographs donated this time were taken between 1968 and 1969 in the Sinduk-ri area of Sinnyung-myeon. They are original prints documenting the rural village by an American missionary who entered Korea as a member of the Peace Corps and lived in Sinduk-ri for about three years.

At the artifact donation ceremony held in the mayor's office, Yeongcheon City presented a donation certificate to the donor Jeongho Lee. Provided by Yeongcheon City

These photographs capture the special bond between the donor's family and the missionary. At that time, the donor’s father, Myungkil Lee, generously provided accommodations near his home free of charge for the visiting foreign missionaries.

Even in an era without interpreters, heartfelt communication through gestures helped them build a cross-border friendship.

After returning to the United States, the missionaries expressed their gratitude by sending the photographs they had personally taken to the donor's family, who have cherished them for nearly 60 years.

Donor's family and missionary Sangduk Kye. Courtesy of Yeongcheon City

Notably, these donated relics are historically valuable as 'color printed photographs,' which were extremely rare in rural Korea at the time.

The photographs preserve in vivid color the landscapes, attire of villagers, and panoramic views of Yeongcheon from the late 1960s, an era when black-and-white photography predominated.

The images faithfully capture the humble daily lives of Yeongcheon’s rural citizens, including traditional housing structures, clothing, and scenes of farming, before the state-led modernization began in earnest.

Beyond serving as personal family memories, the collection offers a valuable glimpse into the seasonal customs and communal lifestyles of the time, making them of significant academic value.

Donor Jeongho Lee commented, “Although these photographs hold precious family memories, I thought it would be more meaningful for them to be used in recording and preserving the history of my hometown, Yeongcheon, so I decided to donate them.”

A city official stated, “We are deeply grateful for such a noble gesture in generously donating these invaluable records that bear the marks of time,” adding, “The photographs will become treasured assets of the Yeongcheon City Museum to be established, and will be actively used to share Yeongcheon’s history with future generations.”

Meanwhile, Yeongcheon City plans to register and preserve the 70 donated photographs in the Yeongcheon City Museum archive, and utilize them for future exhibitions and educational materials.

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