The special exhibition 'Sejong City 2005-2015: Remarkable transformation and distant memories' has been prepared by National Folk Museum of Korea, Presidential Archives of Korea and Sejong City, the center of the administration of Korea, which is in line with the year’s project, 'Sejong Folk Culture Year, 2016'.

National Folk Museum of Korea tried to document what Sejong had experienced from the year 2005 when the development plan was confirmed to the year 2015 when the construction has been taking place actively. Over the decade, a village of a common countryside turned into a center of national administration and people are now living in a very different situation.

The exhibition is designed to have three sections showing sequential difference of the area and the villagers. The first part, ‘Being at Home - For Generations’, will show what the tradition people had shared since ancient times until 2005. The second part, ‘Leaving Home – Diaspora’ illustrates people leaving their home from 2006, and lastly, ‘Coming Back Home – Gathering Again’ presents last year conditions of returnees to Sejong City.

We hope the history and the traces of shared and remained culture of the community would nourish the present culture of the city despite the native had to leave their home due to the development.

Sejong Metropolitan Autonomous City
Its history began in July of 2012. It is a multifunctional administrative city and is located in the central area of Korea. The gross area is 465.23㎢. Yeongi-gun of Chungcheongnam-do, a part of Gongju City of Chungcheongnam-do and a part of Cheongwon-gun of Chungcheongbuk-do are included in the district. The city name ‘Sejong’ was a winning name from a nationwide naming contest. Since the decision was made on propelling the original plan for the administrative city, government institutions have been moving from Seoul to Sejong. The population reached 235,347 at the moment of July 20, 2016.

Part1. Being at Home - For Generations
In 2005 when the city construction had not yet been undertaken, National Folk Museum of Korea performed a folkloric research that resulted in finding out of old materials such as images of household gods, books and documents which had been handed down for generations. They certainly were reflecting the face of sweet home.
The area where Sejong is located is somewhere for which Goguryeo, Baekjae and Shilla (ancient three kingdoms of Korea) once had a fight. During the time of Goryeo, Yeongi Great War broke out where Hapdanjeok (rebel forces against Yuan dynasty of China) was beaten. The area was well known as its vast fields with surrounding gentle slopes to the degree that we find comments from ‘Taekrigi’ as to “Colors of hills are beautiful and gorgeous … its gentleness and richness is just right for growing crops and cotton plants.”
Particularly the place is a gathering point where three rivers from Jeolla-do, Gyeongsang-do and Chungcheong-do meet and begin to flow together. Thanks to the condition, it was also famous for its great view, castles and octagonal pavilions.
Since the old times, many family groups had been living on agriculture, so they prayed for prosperity and peace through holding special ceremonies and festivals. They were busy as well in inheriting Confucian teachings in Confucian academies and auditoriums.

Part2. Leaving Home – Diaspora
Taking advantage of good geographic conditions as a central area of South Korea, Sejong city area had been mentioned many times to be the administrative city. The plan for the multifunctional administrative city that began in 2005 has many things to do with the ‘blank plan(development plan)’ in 1977 composed in purpose of relieving overcrowded capital area and balanced development of a country.
In 2004, Yeongi-Gongju area was decided as a neo-administrative city and on the 29th of June in 2010 the construction plan was taken into the action in reality. As a result, people had to leave their home and there were pros and cons at the same time, opposing the compensation plan or looking forward to benefits from the development.
The community center representing the community was torn down, houses were also pulled down. The live and the dead all had to leave the place.

Part3. Coming Back Home – Gathering Again
Villagers began to return to their home since 2006 in which permanent rental apartment and reconstructed houses began to allow moving in. Some people never returned. Newcomers also flowed into the city as central government administrative institutions started to move.
National Folk Museum of Korea traced interviewees from 2005 and 2015, and could find out many things had changed over the ten years. People who once shared their lives in countryside were now living with strangers in apartment buildings. However, native people tend to keep the names of their villages by keeping signboards or ridgepoles or in the name of new places or schools. Additionally, they try to have vegetable gardens together and to hold meetings for the villagers. Ancestors resting in new memorial halls remind people of their roots, supporting people to remain their original way of living.
People and Sejong city went through changes together, and people are now living in new apartment buildings in a new city keeping remembering their old town, sharing lives with newcomers from outside.

Epilogue
What does ‘Home’ mean to you?
Tell us about your ‘home’.