A 123-year-old British lighthouse lens to shine at Pohang museum

A heritage-grade lighthouse lens that served in Britain for 123 years will go on public display in Korea for the first time. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will mark World Lighthouse Day with a ceremony in Busan and a lighting event featuring the lens, which the ministry has obtained on permanent loan from the British government.

The ministry announced Monday that it will hold the 8th World Lighthouse Day ceremony in Busan at 11 a.m. Wednesday. This year's event carries the theme "Lighthouses Connecting Eras and Spaces, Opening the Future with Light."

About 200 people are expected to attend, including the secretary-general of the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA), the Chilean ambassador to Korea, and maritime navigation workers. The ministry plans to present awards to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field and to introduce initiatives for modernizing navigation infrastructure and developing lighthouses as marine tourism assets.

That afternoon, a special lighting ceremony will be held at the Lighthouse Museum in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. The centerpiece is a heritage-grade Fresnel lens used at Pendeen Lighthouse in Britain from 1900 for 123 years — now on permanent loan from the British government and on display in Korea for the first time.

World Lighthouse Day was established at the 2018 World Lighthouse Congress in Incheon and has been observed annually since 2019 under the auspices of IALA.

Deputy Minister Nam Jae-heon said aids to navigation are "core infrastructure for ushering in the era of autonomous vessels and Arctic shipping routes," adding that the ministry would "strengthen support so they can serve as a compass opening new sea lanes."