The Life History of Incheon’s Match Factory at Baedari Match Museum

Why the Former Dongincheon Post Office Became a Museum on March 15, 2019

Baedari Match Museum is located in the Baedari area of Jemulpo-gu, Incheon Metropolitan City. Baedari served as a gathering point for Joseon people pushed out of foreign concessions after the opening of Incheon Port in 1883, and the Joseon Match Company opened in this area in 1917.

The museum was created by renovating the former Dongincheon Post Office, which stood on the site of the Joseon Match Company, Korea’s first match factory. It was jointly promoted by the National Folk Museum of Korea and Incheon Metropolitan City as part of the “2019 Year of Folk Culture” project, and opened on March 15, 2019.

The Industrial Landscape of Baedari Created by 800 Employees and 2,800 Part-Time Workers

The Joseon Match Company is said to have operated with 800 employees and 2,800 part-time workers in the late 1930s. Other guide materials record that it employed approximately 300 female workers and more than 100 male workers, showing that match production was connected to labor both inside and outside the factory.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, match factories were concentrated around Songnim-dong and Hwasu-dong. As match factories opened one after another in the area after the Korean War, the local image of “Incheon when you think of match factories” took shape, and Baedari residents also participated in a side business making matchboxes by applying flour paste.

How to View Round Matches, Boxed Matches, and the Production Process in the First-Floor Exhibition Hall

Visits center on the first-floor exhibition hall. The museum introduces the history and manufacturing process of matches, as well as aspects of daily life related to matches, and there is an education room on the second floor. The compact two-story building contains exhibitions on match production and video materials.

Exhibits include round matches and boxed matches in a wide variety of designs. Matchboxes were not merely everyday necessities; they were also used as souvenirs commemorating political and cultural events and as advertising media. The exhibition covers not only information about match factories but also various episodes connected with matches and daily life at the time.

A Recreated Geumgokdabang Space and a Matchbox-Stacking Activity

One side of the museum contains a space recreating Geumgokdabang, an actual teahouse that once operated in Baedari. It is arranged to evoke the past game of stacking matches like a tower in teahouses, showing that matches were more than tools for making fire: they were also objects of teahouses and everyday life.

Stamps featuring various match-related patterns are also available. The museum has been introduced as a space where both children and adults can participate, and educational and hands-on programs are operated in the second-floor education room. However, the current program schedule and reservation availability cannot be determined from the available information alone.

How to Walk from Dongincheon Station Exit 1 to 19 Geumgok-ro

If you are visiting Incheon for the first time, the simplest starting point is Dongincheon Station on National Railway Line 1. Some guide materials indicate that it takes nine minutes on foot from Exit 1 of Dongincheon Station to the museum, whose address is 19 Geumgok-ro, Jemulpo-gu, Incheon Metropolitan City.

The museum is inside Baedari Village, so after arriving from the station, it is best to walk through the surrounding alleyways as well. Since confirmed guides do not provide specific bus routes or stop information, foreign visitors relying exclusively on buses should enter the address into a map app and use a route passing through Dongincheon Station for greater safety.

Remember 09:00–18:00, Free Admission, and Closing Days First

According to Incheon tourism information, visiting hours are 09:00–18:00 and admission is free. As this is not a paid museum where you need to purchase a ticket at a box office, there is no need to set aside a separate admission budget. However, the admission closing time is not provided.

The museum is closed every Monday, January 1, and the day of Seollal and Chuseok. The main telephone number is 032-777-6130, and the official information URL is the detailed Baedari Match Village Museum page on Incheon Tour. Visiting hours and closing days are based on the page as of March 3, 2026.

• Hours: 09:00–18:00
• Admission: Free
• Closed: Every Monday, January 1, and the day of Seollal and Chuseok

Practical Differences Regarding Parking, Wheelchairs, and Companion Access

The museum has no on-site parking lot, but a public parking lot can be used. Since the name, fees, and number of spaces at the public parking lot are not provided, visitors traveling by car should not plan on parking directly in front of the museum. Using the nine-minute walking access from Dongincheon Station can help avoid parking difficulties.

There is an access route at the main entrance, and the main entrance can accommodate wheelchairs; both automatic and manual doors are available. The building has separate men’s and women’s restrooms, and an information staff member is stationed there. Guide dogs are permitted, but information stating that other pets are also allowed may be subject to change.

• On-site parking: None
• Parking alternative: Public parking lot
• Accessibility: Access route at the main entrance; main entrance passable by wheelchair
• Facilities: Separate men’s and women’s restrooms inside the building; information staff

A 0.14 km Walk Extending to Baedari’s Used Book Alley

Baedari’s used book alley is approximately 0.14 km from the museum. Baedari Village is not very large and is presented as a walkable route. Rather than returning directly to the station after seeing only the museum, combining the visit with the used book alley allows you to experience the area’s everyday culture and industrial memories in one outing.

Baedari Village is also known as a filming location for the films <Extreme Job> and the drama <Goblin>. Places suggested by Incheon tourism information as nearby attractions include Hwadojin Fortress, Songhyeon Neighborhood Park, Hongyemun Gate, Soepulgogae-gil, and Incheon Dapdong Cathedral. For meals, Munhwabanjeom at 29 Geumgok-ro and Yonghwabanjeom at 7 Chamoejeon-ro 174beon-gil are options.

• Baedari used book alley: Approximately 0.14 km
• Munhwabanjeom: 29 Geumgok-ro, Jemulpo-gu, Incheon, 032-773-4824
• Yonghwabanjeom: 7 Chamoejeon-ro 174beon-gil, Jemulpo-gu, Incheon, 032-761-5970

How to Read Matches as Incheon’s Labor History Rather Than Simply “Old Objects”

The heart of this museum lies not so much in the rarity of matches themselves as in showing where matches were produced and consumed. Viewing the production process, handwork, and matchbox making together reveals the connection between factory labor and Baedari residents’ side businesses. Records also remain stating that matches were expensive enough at the time to be exchanged for a doe of rice per dong.

The currently available information does not specify whether photography is prohibited, whether English guides or audio guides are available, restrictions on entry by area, or the times when waiting lines form. Therefore, foreign visitors should arrive between 09:00 and 18:00, prepare to read exhibition explanations with a translation app, and confirm operating status by calling 032-777-6130 before visiting.

A Visit Plan Suitable for First-Time Foreign Visitors

The recommended route is to walk for nine minutes from Dongincheon Station Exit 1, visit the first-floor exhibition hall, enjoy the recreated Geumgokdabang space and stamp activity, and then proceed to Baedari’s used book alley. Since the recommended time for viewing only the museum cannot be confirmed from the published materials, it is best to allow extra time depending on whether you plan to include a walk through the surrounding alleys.

Free admission and the short walk from the station suit a light itinerary, but visitors expecting to tour the entire original match-factory building or participate in a currently operating factory experience may be disappointed. The published facility information centers on the first-floor exhibition hall and second-floor education room, while educational and hands-on programs are operated separately.

• Starting point: National Railway Line 1, Dongincheon Station Exit 1
• From the station to the museum: 9 minutes on foot
• Address: 19 Geumgok-ro, Jemulpo-gu, Incheon Metropolitan City
• Telephone: 032-777-6130