Taebaek City Turns Mining Memories into Tourism... Establishes Three Major Tourist Facilities Utilizing Mining Heritage

Three Cultural Tourism Facilities Utilizing Mining Heritage Established
Reviving the Memories of Abandoned Mines Through Tourism

Taebaek City in Gangwon Province (Mayor Lee Sangho) is actively working to revitalize tourism by gradually establishing cultural and tourism infrastructure utilizing the industrial heritage and natural resources of abandoned mine areas, as part of the "Phase 3 Project for Revitalizing the Tourism Industry in Abandoned Mine Areas" promoted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Digital Archiving Exhibition Hall of Mining Heritage. Provided by Taebaek City

First, on the first floor of the Jangseong Culture Platform, a new "Digital Archiving Exhibition Hall of Mining Heritage" has been created to preserve and convey records from before and after the closure of the Jangseong Mining Office.

This exhibition hall serves as a space for systematically preserving and utilizing digital records collected and organized through the "Mining Heritage Digital Archiving Project." It continuously releases photos, videos, and documentary materials related to the Jangseong Mining Office in the form of media exhibitions, with the aim of sharing the region’s collective memory.

The exhibition hall is designed to allow citizens and tourists to directly experience the history of the Jangseong Mining Office and the changes in the region after its closure through services such as record browsing and search, media art video screenings, and digital archive experience content.

In addition, an "Open-air museum based on coal industry heritage" has been established in the Sodo mining village and Taebaek Experience Park areas, where visitors can view mining-related heritage on site. This project is characterized by utilizing the spaces where industrial heritage remains as exhibition resources, reinterpreting past industrial sites as vibrant cultural spaces.

Open-air museum based on coal industry heritage. Provided by Taebaek City

At the same time, a "Tourism Road Development Project linked to the natural scenery around Biwaya Falls and surrounding areas" is underway in the Hajangseong Hoam Village and Yangji Village areas. The project aims to build foundational infrastructure to improve the convenience of tourist movement and optimize travel routes. Two sections were completed by 2025, and the third section is planned for construction in 2026.

Taebaek City expects that this project will connect the industrial heritage, living spaces, and natural scenery of the abandoned mine areas into a single tourism flow, strengthening the foundation for stay-type tourism and ultimately revitalizing the local economy.

Tourism Road Development Project. Provided by Taebaek City

A Taebaek City official stated, "The project to revitalize the tourism industry in abandoned mine areas is meaningful not only for building facilities, but also for creating a tourism structure that integrates the region’s history, spaces, and the lives of residents," adding, "We will continue to steadily implement each phase of the project to ensure that the abandoned mine areas become sustainable cultural tourism destinations."

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