From Refugee Villages to Sewoon Shopping Center: Modern and Contemporary Architecture Exhibition Returns

National Heritage Administration to Hold Exhibition at HICO from the 10th to 12th
Encore Exhibition of Busan BEXCO
Comprehensive Showcase of Six Core Sections, Including Yeongdeok, Busan, and Seoul

The trajectory of architectural heritage that has traversed Korea’s turbulent modern and contemporary history, including liberation, war, and industrialization, is being re-examined.

Exhibition 'Remembering the Special Exhibition on Modern and Contemporary Architectural Heritage' Poster / National Heritage Agency.

The National Heritage Administration announced on the 8th that it will present the exhibition "Remembering the Modern and Contemporary Architectural Heritage Special Exhibition" at the Gyeongju HICO Convention Center from the 10th to the 12th, in conjunction with the World National Heritage Industry Expo.

This is an encore exhibition following the success of the BEXCO exhibition in Busan last July, which earned critical acclaim from both the public and the media. The exhibition distills the key elements of its former core theme, "My Heritage: Lived, Living, and Yet to Live," into a more condensed presentation. The project is a collaborative effort involving the National Heritage Administration, Docomomo Korea, Kuga Urban Architecture, and several other organizations.

The exhibition is organized into six sections, ranging from policy to the historical spaces in various regions. It begins by sharing the reflections of exhibition directors Kim Jonghun and Cho Jeonggu as well as introducing policies on modern architecture, then explores the "Busan Uam-dong Somak Village," which transformed from a colonial-era cattle pen to a residential area for refugees and laborers. It then examines the "Yeongdeok Yeonghae Market Street Modern History and Culture Area," which retains traces of the March 18 Independence Movement, an old terminal, and an old brewery.

The exhibition also presents a historical cross-section of the Seoul metropolitan area and offers alternatives from the youth generation. It analyzes the architectural style of "Seoul Hannam-dong Hill," featuring a mix of disabled veterans' and immigrants' residences with an Islamic mosque, and investigates the functions of the "Seoul Sewoon Shopping Center Area," which preserves traces of the city’s manufacturing industry atop Joseon Dynasty roads. In addition, the exhibition shares ideas for preserving "Yeongdeok Yeonghae Market Street" and "Busan Port Pier 1," highlighted by award-winning entries from a revitalization contest held in March and April.

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