“Is this an automobile or a work of art?”
(Published February 21, 2012)

-[(3) In search of an extraordinary museum] Samsung Transportation Museum
–Automobile history at a glance … Functioning as an educational facility
 

◇ The Samsung Transportation Museum opened in May 1999 as the first automobile museum in Korea. Located in Yuun-ri, Pogok-eup, Cheoin-gu, Yongin City, the museum features an array of exhibitions related to automobiles and offers some transportation-related educational programs as well. ⓒ G-News Plus

Not many people seem to know that there is a transportation museum in Yongin City of Gyeonggi Province, despite the fact that Korea has manufactured automobiles for more than fifty years and is now one of the world’s major automobile producers.

The Samsung Transportation Museum, the first automobile museum in Korea, opened back in May 1998. It is designed to exhibit automobiles and educate the public. The museum collects, preserves, researches and studies a variety of automobiles, which form part of the classic cultural heritage of the 20th century.

The museum is divided into three principal exhibition spaces: the first floor, the second floor, and the outdoor exhibition area. Many of the automobiles on display call for a fresh perspective of automobiles: automobiles can be viewed as works of art rather than simply as a modern means of transportation.◇ The Cord L-29 Cabriolet displayed in the lobby is the world’s first mass-produced front-wheel drive car.ⓒ G-News Plus

The main exhibition hall on the 1st floor is divided into five sub-zones: the Public Zone, Premium Zone, Sports Zone, Classic Zone, and Korean Zone.

The Public Zone focuses on the contribution automobiles have made to human society as a modern convenience that is now being enjoyed by an ever-increasing number of people. The Premium Zone focuses on the aspect of automobiles as possessions of the upper classes and symbols of their wealth and social status, or as works of art.◇ In the Premium Zone on the 1st floor, visitors can confirm the value of automobiles produced in the early days of the industry as outstanding works of art. ⓒ G-News Plus

The Sports Zone features a large display of sports cars, another driving force in the development of the automotive industry. Sports cars have captured the imagination of enthusiasts for decades, and have played an important role in the industry, particularly in terms of the sheer enjoyment of driving.

The Classic Zone exhibits cars largely made by hand in the 1920s and 1930s, when people particularly appreciated the beauty of cars, and when there were coach builders as well as automobile manufacturers.

The last zone is reserved for Korean cars, and includes some important cars in the history of Korea’s automotive industry.◇ Children’s Auto Land on the 1st floor is designed for children aged 5 to 8. Automobiles are categorized according to their shapes and functions as sedans, limousines, and coupes among others. Through this interactive exhibition, children learn about the chief characteristics of automobiles in each category. ⓒ G-News Plus

The main exhibition hall on the 1st floor features some special exhibitions in a number of themed halls.

The special exhibitions include: Children’s Auto Land for children aged 5 to 8; the Hands-on Galley, where visitors can operate automobiles themselves; the History of the Automobile, which highlights major events in the history of the car from 1482 to the 2010 F1 Korean Grand Prix; 2nd Street, an imaginary reproduction of a street in a Western country during the 1930s which focuses on the changes that occurred in daily life as automobiles became more common; and the Photo Zone, where visitors can get into an ◇ In the Hands-on Gallery, visitors can learn about the history of automobile parts and components in considerable detail. ⓒ G-News Plus

Modeled on the Jerez Auto Speedway in Spain, the 2nd floor exhibition hall is subdivided into six areas specifically dedicated to auto racing: Formula 1, Indy 500, Le Mans 24, Rally, Mille Miglia and domestic racing.

In the outdoor exhibition area in the front court, there is a video art installation created by the late Nam June Paik, an internationally renowned Korean video artist, of “32 cars for the 20th Century”, which was highly recognized at Germany’s Munster: Art Tour 1997. A narrow gauge steam locomotive and a light plane are also on display here.