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There were days when we rushed for the telephone booths whenever the plastic beepers in our pockets vibrated. Soon text beepers were created, wowing people with messages that could be directly read off the tiny machines.
Not just beepers but many modern things have popped up and disappeared during the last several decades, giving up their places to something more convenient or beautiful. One by one, these once cutting-edge items turned into antiques.
However, Hanyang University Museum at Haengdang-dong is showcasing 70 of these nostalgic items from the past 70 years at the exhibition "Modern Korea 70," for the purpose of sharing memories while commemorating its 70th anniversary.
"Viewers will be able to figure out where we stand and how our culture will develop in the future by looking at the changes that occurred in the last 70 years through this exhibition," said exhibition curator Lee Hyun-joo.
The exhibits vary from Korea's first ramen, soju and cigarettes to beepers and computers.
Among the exhibits, the first versions of rice cookers and kimchi refrigerators catch viewers' eyes. The popular home appliances would not have been invented if it were not for the unique Korean habits of eating rice and kimchi everyday. Electronics have continuously evolved, and the most advanced versions are found in practically every Korean household nowadays.
The "noraebang" (karaoke) machine is another item that reflects Korean identity. Since its invention in the early 1990s, the machine is still essential for worn-out Koreans who cannot wait to sing and dance to burn off stress.
Old CD jackets and movie posters from the 1970s will make middle-aged Koreans nostalgic - they will find themselves smiling at the black and white photos of old music cafes where long-haired DJs, decked out in flowery shirts, scarves and sunglasses used to play pop music enthusiastically.
Korea's first analog computer, invented by Hanyang University professor Lee Man-young in 1964, can also be found at the exhibition. Instead of using semiconductors as they do these days, Lee made it with vacuum tubes.
Besides the actual items, photos capturing many historic scenes are worth a look for visitors of all ages - even those who were actually there from Korea's 1945 liberation to the 2002 World Cup Generation.
Sports fans will be delighted to see the photos of Korea's favorite sports stars lined up on the wall chronologically. Of course, national sweetheart Kim Yu-na completes the list, following Park Chan-ho.
The exhibition runs through Aug. 31 at Hanyang University Museum at Haengdang-dong, eastern Seoul. For more information, call (02) 2220-1394~6 or visit museumuf.hanyang.ac.kr
By Park Min-young
(claire@heraldm.com)
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