Folk Museum Explores Past, Present Lifestyles
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
The National Folk Museum of Korea has reopened its exhibition hall providing a window into the history of the lives of Korean people, showing representative materials from everyday life and customs from early history right up until the modern era.
The museum temporarily closed the hall last year but reopened it Dec. 21 after renovations were completed.
Koo Moon-hoi, curator of the museum, said that the hall exhibits some 510 historical relics through adding themes of the modern era such as the lifestyles of the 1920s-30s and 1970s-80s. The previous hall only went as far as the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) with just 250 pieces on display.
``The exhibit also features dynamic shows of historical relics through motion pictures and genuine historical artifacts instead of miniatures to help visitors better understand the contents of the exhibit,'' said Koo.
The hall consists of five themes: From Nature to Human Being; Territorial Expansion; Enjoyment of Culture; Emergence and Growth of Popular Class.
The first part of From Nature to Human Being shows the period of the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods when people learned to cultivate and utilize nature rather than merely adapting to their surroundings.
In the Paleolithic period, people frequently moved around to find better places for hunting and gathering food. Later, they began to settle and started agriculture production during the Neolithic period. Stone instruments became diverse and sophisticated and earthenware was made for the transport and storage of grains. With the development of agriculture, people of the Bronze Age built houses similar to dugouts near rivers and coastal areas and established villages.
Stone tools were primarily used, although bronze weapons were also produced as status symbols for political rulers. Increased agricultural production led to the creation of social classes and conflicts emerged among communities due to the need to acquire more agricultural products and cultivate land.
The second part of Territorial Expansion begins with the Three Kingdoms period with Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla conquering the early states. The growth of these states was heavily influenced by ironware, such as steel farming tools and steel weapons. The development of the Three Kingdoms inevitably led to the extension of the sphere of activities of the Korean people. The Three Kingdoms gradually formed a homogenous culture as they succeeded in expanding their territories and maintaining consistent political systems to govern the inhabitants in the areas. The lives of people of that period were reflected in relics and vestiges including the mural paintings of Goguryeo.
The third part of Enjoyment of Culture displays the unification of the later Three Kingdoms and the founding of Joseon paved the way for historical development based on a truly unified nation. Confucianism functioned as the basic ideology of politics and social order. Buddhism, which was very popular among commoners, became the spiritual prop of the state.
The centralization of power in the monarchy was achieved by the establishment and development of bureaucratic systems such as ``gwageo'' (civil service examination) and regional governing systems. The development of typography and stable governance contributed to the spread of knowledge and information within the public. The creation and spread of Hangeul brought significant changes in the lives of commoners, as they could express their ideas in written form.
The advancement of agricultural production and monetary economy, which was accompanied by advances in agriculture, commerce, and production of handicrafts in the late Joseon period, accelerated changes in the social classes and the growth of class-consciousness among commoners. As people were able to express their ideas and emotions, this also allowed them to enjoy a wider range of cultural activity.
The fourth part of the Emergence and Growth of the Popular Class explores the changes in Korean society especially in the colonial rule under Japanese imperialism, liberation, the division of north and south, modernization, industrialization, and globalization ― all of which contributed to upheaval among the common folk leading them to experience despair and frustration, as well as surmounting such difficulties and achieving a sense of accomplishment.
The development of material culture, science, and technology in Korea guided the emergence of the popular class as the main source of production and consumption. In this process, widely accepted western lifestyles and values have transformed the pattern of food, clothing and housing as well as the overall lifestyle of the common people. During the past century, despite the growing pains in the aftermath of the rapid changes, the common people arose as the masters of their own destiny.
The exhibit features Taegeukgi, the national flag, which was made in the early 20th century as a symbol of the independent movement under the Japanese colonial rule.
Also, a poster from the first general election, which was held on May 10 in 1948, is on display. Dolls made in 1920s are exhibited to show how people lived and looked at that time.