Exhibition runs through Nov. 30 in city hall lobby
Guri held an unveiling ceremony Tuesday at the first-floor lobby of its city hall to open a photo exhibition marking the 40th anniversary of the city's elevation to municipal status, showcasing key images from four decades of urban history.
The exhibition looks back on the city's transformation and the lives of its residents since Guri-eup was elevated to Guri on Jan. 1, 1986, with the aim of preserving each citizen's personal memories as part of the city's collective history.
A total of 40 photographs are on display, drawn from images submitted by residents and from the city's own archives. The photos capture a wide range of everyday scenes — from a wedding ceremony held in 1986, the year of the city's elevation, to young people posing in front of the now-demolished Hanseong Bathhouse, to children riding tricycles near the old Guri Public Health Center in Sutaek-dong.
Beyond snapshots of daily life and urban change, the exhibition also documents moments of hardship the community weathered together — flood damage in the 1990s and public health responses to the MERS and COVID-19 outbreaks. From ordinary moments to times of crisis, each photograph vividly traces the path Guri has traveled, going beyond individual memory to tell the city's broader story.
Guri Mayor Shin Dong-hwa, who attended the unveiling ceremony, said the exhibition was "not simply a gathering of old photographs, but a precious opportunity to look back together at where we started, how far we have come, and who has been with us along the way." He added that he intended to build "a city that does not erase the traces of the past, but carries the stories of the people within them as it moves toward the future."
Shin also expressed hope that "today's photographs will one day remain as another precious record," and encouraged residents to visit the exhibition.
The city said it plans to use the exhibition as an opportunity to share residents' memories and records across generations, fostering a broader sense of community. The exhibition runs through Nov. 30.
Lee Yeong-hui, the city's public relations and cooperation officer, said she hoped the exhibition would give residents a chance to revisit their memories and offer younger generations a fresh opportunity to discover Guri's past and how it has changed. She added that she hoped visitors to city hall would view the photographs with their families and connect with the city's history.
pjh@heraldcorp.com
