[Announcement] Korea`s 1st newspaper museum, `Presseum,` opens

Korea's first newspaper museum, the "Presseum," which shows the 100 years of Korean newspaper history, will open at the third and fourth floors of Dong-A Media Center in Kwanghwamun, downtown Seoul, on Dec. 15.

The Presseum is a compound of the words "press" and "museum." The Presseum that was set up at Kwanghwamun, the center of the Korean history, at the very time when it crosses over the border of the century, has four sections: Newspapers in the World, Newspaper Hall, Special Exhibition Hall, and Media Education Hall.

Each exhibition hall shows the past and present of the Korean newspapers systematically, so that visitors can look back on the eventful modern history through the Korean newspapers.

The newspaper museum also displays all the Korean newspapers by era and subject from the newspapers published in the late Choson Kingdom such as Hansong Sunbo, Tongnip Shinmum (The Independent), Hwangsong Shinmun and Korea Daily News to the latest Internet newspapers. At the same time, various newspaper-manufacturing machines used during the days of printing the papers with lead type are displayed.

The museum can be said to be the window from which visitors can see history and it is itself the scene of an abridged history. This is why the United States, Japan and European countries have founded their respective newspaper museums to utilize them for education of history and press.

The museum will do its utmost to help raise the young people¡¯s understanding of and familiar feeling toward the newspaper media. It also will do its best to function as a hall of historic materials in depth of the press for journalists and journalism researchers. In particular, groups of students led by teachers visiting the museum for educational purposes will be admitted free of charge to the museum.

We express our deep gratitude to the people who donated precious materials to the newspaper museum and also expect that those who own newspaper-related materials to donate to it for more substantial exhibition at the museum. We expect much from our readers for the successful operation of the museum, the first of its kind in Korea.

Viewing Time: Tuesday through Sunday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Viewing Fee: 3,000 won for regular admission and students (2,000 per person for groups of 20 or more)
2,000 won for elementary, middle and high school students (1,500 won per person for groups of 20 or more)

Education Program
Subject: Fifth- or sixth-graders at elementary schools, and 15 or more middle and high students
Application: Via Internet phone or fax

Presseum
Address: Dong-a Ilbo, 139, Sejong-ro, Chongro-gu, Seoul (postal code: 110-050), Korea
Telephone: +82 2 2020-1830
Fax: +82 2 2020-1839
Internet: http://www.presseum.org