Key takeaways
Samcheolli Coal Briquettes, founded in Oryu-dong in 1955, ranked among Korea's "big three" briquette makers alongside Daesung and Sampyo through the 1970s, and stood as one of the two major briquette producers in the Guro area, alongside Daesung Briquettes in Sindorim-dong. Fact (Coal briquettes, called *yeontan* in Korean, were the dominant home heating and cooking fuel across Korea from the 1950s through the 1980s.) After the Samcheolli Coal Briquettes plant relocated in 1983, the Samcheolli Apartments were built on the site, carrying the name forward. Fact The Oryu Line also handled freight for Samcheolli Coal Briquettes, along with Yeongpung Steel and Ilsin Steel (later Dongbu Steel). Fact
What to look for on site
- The Samcheolli Apartments, built on the former site of the Samcheolli Coal Briquettes plant
- Sections of track still showing traces of freight transport
- The former layout of Oryu-dong's industrial belt (see reference materials)
Responsible framing
Rather than singling out individual laborers of that era, center the account on the structural background of the coal briquette and steel industries.