How Gyeongju's 'Bomun Tourist Complex' Became Korea's First School Trip Destination and an APEC Host City
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
South Korea’s National Museum of Korean Contemporary History has published "Gyeongju: Tourism and History," the first result of a project documenting modern spaces, people and records. Focusing on the Bomun Tourist Complex (developed under 1970s national plans), the study compiles maps, plans and oral histories to trace Gyeongju’s role as a classic school-trip destination and recent APEC host city. For the first time, early development drawings for key Bomun sites—Concorde Hotel, Comodo Hotel, Korea Condo and the youth hostel near Bulguksa—were released, allowing comparisons with today’s structures. The museum cataloged 133 items related to Gyeongju from its collection and uncovered detailed repair and restoration documentation for Bulguksa Temple (during Japanese colonial rule) by comparing multiple archival drawings. The publication and PDFs of the research will be made available on the museum website, and the museum plans to continue investigating disappearing modern spaces and memories.
