A Study on the Contemporary Value Interpretation of Chunpo Rice Mill during the Japanese Colonial Period; [일제강점기 춘포 도정공장의 동시대적 가치 해석에 관한 연구]

Abstract

This study examines how the Chunpo Rice Mill (1914) in Iksan, Korea, both a colonial and industrial heritage site, has been reinterpreted in the contemporary era. Originally built during Japanese rule for rice extraction, later converted into a state grain facility, and eventually abandoned, the mill was transformed into an exhibition space in 2022. Using a qualitative, interpretive case study, the research draws on UNESCO’s Sites of Memory Associated with Recent Conflicts and Terry Smith’s concept of the Contemporary Museum to explore how spatial and historical shifts create new meanings. As a Site of Memory, the mill represents colonial exploitation yet functions as a medium of remembrance. Evolving uses, preserved form, a shift from material production to experiential value, and renewed local engagement reveal memory moving from preservation to reinterpretation. As a Contemporary Museum, the site demonstrates plural temporality, expanded site-specificity, media hybridity, and postcolonial reorientation. The building’s physical time coexists with the exhibition’s narrative time, while artistic interventions turn the architecture into an active medium that reframes local and marginalized histories. Together, the two frameworks show that the Chunpo Rice Mill maintains colonial memory while reappropriating it through art. The case illustrates how modern heritage can stimulate cultural regeneration and connect memory, art, and place within contemporary discourse. © 2026 Architectural Institute of Korea.