Damyang-gun is undertaking a full renovation of the Korea Bamboo Museum to introduce new cultural tourism content.
Opened in 1998, the Korea Bamboo Museum is the country's only public museum dedicated to bamboo crafts, housing and preserving more than 5,200 bamboo craft items along with works by master artisans recognized for lacquered bamboo and woven bamboo techniques.
The county plans to upgrade aging infrastructure and transform the museum from an exhibition-focused space into a multipurpose cultural complex blending education, hands-on experiences and leisure, in step with shifting tourism trends.
The project will receive a total of 8.9 billion won ($6.07 million). The county has completed architectural remodeling designs and plans to begin renovating the exhibition halls in August, targeting completion in 2027.
The work covers six buildings — including the main hall, expo hall, experience hall and commercial building — and will involve upgrading mechanical, electrical and fire safety infrastructure while improving the visitor environment.
The exhibition galleries will be reorganized around the theme "Bamboo in Everyday Life," shifting the focus from bamboo as a museum artifact to bamboo as a material woven into all aspects of daily living — food, clothing, shelter, work and rest.
The main hall will reflect the museum's identity as a bamboo crafts institution, with sections dedicated to lifestyle, craftsmanship and cultural heritage. It will showcase the bamboo goods market and bamboo living culture, while highlighting the craft process as shaped by master artisans and the artistic value of bamboo crafts.
The existing expo and new industries halls will be converted into an open-access storage gallery displaying bamboo artifacts and an open reference space housing records related to bamboo and bamboo crafts. Together they will feature a bamboo encyclopedia, archival materials and a recreation of a traditional bamboo goods market.
"The Korea Bamboo Museum renovation is a project to create a space where future generations can enjoy bamboo and bamboo craft culture — Damyang's defining resource," county chief Park Jong-won said. "We will develop it into a multipurpose cultural complex that brings together exhibitions, experiences, education and rest, making it a flagship cultural tourism destination that both residents and tourists will want to visit."
sij@heraldcorp.com
