A new exhibition allows visitors to experience the life and community culture of Inje's mountain villages during the 1960s and 70s.
The Inje Mountain Folk Museum, operated by the Inje Cultural Foundation, will host the exhibition titled 'Letters from the Mountain House: Inje in the 1960s and 70s' from September 9 to May 31, 2027, on the second floor of the museum.
According to Inje County, this exhibition is part of the '2026 Barrier-Free Cultural Enjoyment Activation Support Project.' It highlights the daily lives and community aspects of mountain village residents through recorded videos, oral histories, and daily tools.
The 1960s and 70s were a time of rapid change in education, transportation, industry, and living conditions, while traditional lifestyles in mountain villages continued.
Visitors will encounter the lives of children who walked mountain paths to school and residents who crafted daily tools from natural materials. Stories of neighbors and community life will be shared through local records and residents' voices.
The exhibition is organized around the theme of 'letters' connecting the past of Inje with today's visitors, divided into four sections.
The first section, 'First Letter: A Letter from the Dume Mountain School,' features a cultural film titled 'Dume School,' showcasing school life and village scenery from the Wondae-ri Wahyeon Branch School in 1972. Related local materials will also illustrate the educational environment of that time.
The second section, 'Second Letter: A Day from the Mountain House,' displays farming and daily tools such as a juru-mak, samtaegi, seolpi, hamji, and jongdaraekki. Some materials will be available for visitors to touch and experience.
Crafts and tools made by Lee Jong-kwan from Gwidun will also be featured, showcasing the skills and wisdom of mountain village residents who adapted their tools to the natural environment.
The third section, 'Third Letter: People Who Connect Memories,' will present recorded videos capturing schools, rural life, markets, and transportation in Inje and Gangwon Province from the 1950s to the 1980s.
Visitors will also see footage of the transportation of timber from Inje used in the reconstruction of Jinju's Chokseokru in 1959 and the rebuilding of Inje High School. Interviews with Choi Byeong-heon and Park Su-hong, who have documented local history, will share stories about changes in mountain villages after the Korean War and the culture surrounding Naekgang Village and its rafts.
The final section, 'Fourth Letter: An Invitation from the Mountain Village,' will allow visitors to experience traditional games such as stamp making, chilgo, and ttakji. There will also be a program to smell the scent of Inje herbs.
A 'Naekgang Village Symphony' will capture the sounds of water, wind, birds, and daily life in Naekgang Village, allowing visitors to experience the mountain village landscape through sight, sound, touch, and smell.
Accessibility has been a key principle from the planning stage of this exhibition. Braille, large print, and easy-to-read materials will be provided, along with sign language, subtitles, and audio description videos. Some daily materials will be designed for tactile exhibition, ensuring accessibility for all visitors, regardless of age or ability.
This exhibition is significant as it expands the scope of Inje County's efforts to promote local culture. Inje County also hosts the Park In-hwan Literary Festival, which highlights the literary legacy of poet Park In-hwan, and the National Woodcraft Competition, which preserves the region's woodworking traditions. The 2026 Park In-hwan Literary Festival will focus on specific individuals and literature, while the Inje Traditional Woodcraft National Competition will center on local skills and creative activities.
In contrast, this exhibition emphasizes the daily lives and memories of mountain village residents who lived without recognition, presenting them as cultural assets of Inje. It combines video, sound, daily tools, and experiences to convey the region's history to visitors. The introduction of a barrier-free exhibition distinguishes it from previous events.
The exhibition is supported by the Korea Arts and Culture Education Service. The museum plans to continuously gather visitor feedback to enhance cultural accessibility in future exhibitions and educational programs.
Kim O-jeong, head of the cultural policy team at the Inje Cultural Foundation, stated, 'I hope visitors can see, hear, and touch the lives and stories of Inje's mountain villages in their own way. I expect this will be a time where the lives of Inje's people from that era and our present connect naturally through these letters.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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