Tongyeong Bridge with the “Bountiful Catch Rite” design halfway completed.
TONGYEONG, South Korea, July 21 (Korea Bizwire) — One of Tongyeong’s most iconic landmarks, the Tongyeong Bridge, is set to undergo a striking transformation into a work of art that blends infrastructure with cultural heritage.
The city of Tongyeong announced on Sunday that it is in the final stages of a major renovation project aimed at both reinforcing the structural safety of the bridge and turning it into a public art piece. The project is scheduled for completion in September.
“Bountiful Catch Rite” by the late Jeon Hyuck-rim (1916–2010), a Tongyeong-born artist celebrated as “Korea’s Picasso” and a master of Korean abstraction.
Originally completed in 1998, the 591-meter-long bridge connects Tongyeong’s city center to Mireukdo Island and has become a key transportation artery and visual symbol of the coastal city. Exposed to sea winds and salt over the decades, the bridge is now being upgraded with a focus on safety and aesthetics.
With a budget of 4 billion won (approximately $2.9 million), most of the funding is allocated to strengthening the bridge’s functionality. However, about 70 million won has been earmarked to give the structure an artistic facelift under the theme of an “open-air museum in the city.”
Tongyeong Bridge before the design work began.
The artistic centerpiece will be a large-scale adaptation of “Bountiful Catch Rite (Pungeoje)”, a painting by late Tongyeong-born abstract master Jeon Hyuck-rim (1916–2010), often referred to as “Korea’s Picasso.”
Created in 2003, the painting honors the lives of local fishermen and their families through vivid primary colors that abstractly represent Tongyeong’s blue seas, scattered islands, and fresh seafood.
Bijindo Island in Tongyeong, one of the most popular summer travel destinations in South Gyeongsang Province.
Following a complete stripping of the bridge’s original blue paint and anti-corrosion treatment, crews will apply a white base coat and carefully reproduce Jeon’s work in three stages across the bridge’s surface.
The project is being conducted in collaboration with the Jeon Hyuck-rim Art Museum and the artist’s family, who are offering full creative consultation and waived licensing fees to ensure the highest artistic fidelity.
Cable cars in Tongyeong. (image: Tongyeong City Government)
“We are deeply grateful to the artist’s family and the museum for their generous support,” said a city official. “Through this project, we aim to celebrate Tongyeong’s artistic legacy and share it with the world.”
Known for its distinctive combination of plate-girder and arch-bridge design, Tongyeong Bridge has long been praised for its technical sophistication and visual elegance. With the addition of Jeon’s artwork, it is poised to become not only a civic utility but also a cultural landmark over the sea.
Tongyeong is a beautiful port city located in the southern edge of the Korean Peninsula. (Image courtesy of Kimgon)
Image credit: Tongyeong-si, South Gyeongsang Province, Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
