The south Gyeongsang province is the land of persevering life.

The south Gyeongsang province or Gyeongnam, where the Nakdonggang river, Namhae sea, Gimhae plain and Jirisan mountain are together, is the land belonging to the people who led a harsh life leaning on the natural environment from prehistoric times to the present. The academic tradition emphasizing practicality of Nammyeong Josik became the basis for the local culture of the region. Especially, the persevering spirit to resist injustice demonstrated in history became a cause for a pro-democracy movement in modern times. The south Gyeongsang province is the land of exhilaration.
Ogwangdae, a mask play performing group spread broadly over the region, went anywhere people of Gyeongnam gathered and provided laughter and tears. They sang about criticism and resistance against irrationality of the society and people were captivated by their dance and words. People gathered where Ogwangdae went and the culture, produce were exchanged and people communicated.

The special exhibition 'The Land of Persevering Life and Exhilaration, the South Gyeongsang Province' presented by the south Gyeongsang province and the National Folk Museum of Korea, is based on the research of Gyeongnam conducted by the National Folk Museum of Korea since 2012 as a part of 2013 project. In this exhibition, following the lead of Ogwangdae, visitors can experience the nature, product and the spirit of Gyeongnam on a journey. In the process, visitors can also find the hidden folk culture in the south Gyeongsang province and hear the message of cohabitation and co-existence through Ogwangdae, the tour guide.

The south Gyeongsang province has rivers, seas, plains and mountains.
The Nakdonggang river, a symbol of Gyeongnam, flows from the wilderness of the Taebaeksan mountain to the south and it connects to the Namgang river which is used for transporting and communicating people and produce. Most Gyeongnam natives lived and played by the Nakdonggang river. Namhae is a rich resource of fishing industry and a base for livelihood. The Jirisan mountain, with its rugged terrain and graceful view, became the birth place of the spiritual culture of Gyeongnam. The people of Gyeongnam used the natural environment wisely to continue their persevering life and the culture of exhilaration was created within the environment.

The south Gyeongsang province is a rich resource of the craft culture where numerous handcrafts are transmitted and developed.
Tongyoung is where artisans flocked to supply products after the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592 and 12 craft workshop system producing to supply the local government was established. Nationally well known Tongyoung portable tables along with horsehair hats, mother-of-pearl craft, metal craft, fan and furniture were produced in the region. Wooden furniture from Jinju, Milyang, Tongyoung, Gimhae, Masan and Namhae areas has their distinct styles. The market, where people gather, is an assembly of products and a place of communication. The people of Gyeongnam projected their persevering life and exhilaration onto their craftwork.

The south Gyeongsang province is the land of chivalrous spirit resisting against foreign invasion and injustitce.
The basis of Gyeongnam's spiritual culture is the resistance spirit against foreign invasion and injustice. Nammyeong Josik refused a high official position and settled down near the Jirisan mountain to develop an academic tradition emphasizing practicality and cultivated many students. Gwak Jaeu, one of his students formed a civilian army to fight against the Japanese invasion in 1592. In the 19th century, people of Jinju fought against the corrupt officials in the farmers rebellion and during the Japanese colonial period, people started a social equality movement. In the modern history, March 15 Rebellion in Masan and rebellion in Busan against the totalitarian government were all led by the pro-democratic Gyeongnam people. The active spirit and resistance against injustice of the Gyeongnam's people shone when the country was in turmoil.

The south Gyeongsang province is the land of exhilaration.
Ogwangdae is a performance by five clowns wearing masks and divided into five acts. Ogwangdae is a traditional folk play transmitted widely in Gyeongnam. Unlike Gyeongbuk's Hahoe, Gyeonggi's Yangju and Seoul's Songpa, the performance is transmitted widely in the region with the same name. Also, in comparison to other mask plays, it has a strong tendency to satirize resistance against the upper class and this connects to the resistance spirit which is the basis of the Gyeongnam's spiritual culture. Ogwandae was spread broadly in Tongyoung, Goseong, Gasan, Jinju, Changwon, Sinban, Uiryeong, Sancheong, Jindong and Gimhae as well as in Dongnae and Suyeong. Today, Ogwangdae in Tongyoung, Goseong and Gasan are designated as a national intangible heritage and Ogwangdea in Jinju is designated as a regional intangible heritage of the south Gyeongsang province.

A child who went on a picnic to the sandy shore of the Nakdonggang river and Mr. Nam myeong from the Jirisan mountain are gathered here. A fisherman from Namhae who led a persevering life fighting a rough sea and Malttuk from Ogwangdae who shed sweat and tears in performing are all gathered here. The south Gyeongsang province we saw was a large land with various folk culture and people there continued persevering life in different ways. Just as Ogwangdae satirize and criticize about the society but in the end they all forgive each other and co-inhabit, people gathered to talk and to start a festival for living in harmony. It would not be enough to describe the south Gyeongsang province as the land of persevering life and exhilaration, but we found the message of co-inhabiting and co-existing future from the south Gyeongsang province. Now, let's go and speak of one another. Because we are all companions... another name for the south Gyeongsang province is co-inhabitance and co-existence.