Gyeongsan's Imdang Heritage Exhibition Hall surpasses 100,000 cumulative visitors

The Imdang Heritage Exhibition Hall in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, has surpassed 100,000 cumulative visitors, the city announced Friday. The hall opened in May 2025.

Since opening, the hall has served as a venue for introducing the history and culture of the ancient Apdok kingdom to the public, centering on artifacts excavated from the Imdang-dong and Joyeong-dong ancient burial mounds in Gyeongsan — both designated national historic sites.

The hall has consistently operated permanent exhibitions, special themed shows, academic research and education and hands-on experience programs, establishing a well-rounded operational foundation spanning exhibition, research and education functions.

Each year, the hall mounts a new special exhibition to explore the Imdang heritage site from a different angle.

The 2025 opening commemorative special exhibition, "Imdang's Top 10 Masterpieces: Raising the Star of Beginnings," showcased representative artifacts from the site, including a gilt-bronze crown and star-shaped ornaments.

The 2026 special exhibition, "Stories of the Early Apdok People: Everyday Life Found in Artifacts," introduces the farming, hunting, production activities and food culture of the early Apdok people and is currently on display.

Beginning with this exhibition, the hall plans to continue a series of themed shows on the lifestyle and culture of the Apdok people through 2028.

On the research front, the hall has been advancing the "Apdok Kingdom Cultural Heritage Research and Utilization Project" since 2019, systematically studying human skeletal remains and animal and plant materials excavated from the Imdang site.

Through the Cultural Heritage Administration's "Vivid National Heritage" grant program, the hall has expanded offerings connecting the exhibition space with the heritage sites themselves — running on-site programs where visitors can explore the Imdang-dong and Joyeong-dong burial mounds directly, alongside participatory hands-on activities.

"We plan to use the first anniversary of opening and surpassing 100,000 cumulative visitors as a new starting point to further expand the hall's role," a Gyeongsan city official said. "We will continue in-depth research on materials excavated from the Imdang site through the Apdok Kingdom Cultural Heritage Research and Utilization Project, and disseminate the findings as exhibitions, academic resources, and education and cultural content, while also strengthening citizen participation programs and ties with local cultural facilities."