The machine that the guy in the duck-hunter camo is operating here is a blanking press, right? Korean Mint, 1970s.
Sure looks like that machine is extruding a metal strip with punched-out holes. "Blanking Press" seems to be the common name for that machine.
Man of few words contest winner: Yes. Now, I'm going to look up a "big" word in the dictionary. 압출 abchul
I believe 압출 means "extrude"? That sounds more like an injection-mold term. However, it might just be the word they use. In my research into Korean Mint documents, they always used the terms "소전 제조" (coin blank manufacturing).
Sorry, "extrude" is probably not the best term since the strip is not really being forced to change its dimensions. "Eject" is probably more appropriate since I was describing a waste product of the process.
It would also be appropriate, I think, to recognize a KATUSA for his Service on behalf of South Korea and the U.S.
And this was the first I learned of that program. Dad turned 18 and enlisted in the Navy in 1946, and finished his service right before Korea heated up. (He's officially listed as a WWII vet, although the shooting was over before he joined.)
Not sure this guy is a KATUSA. He's probably just a Mint worker. It was common during the Park Chunghee era to see male workers and students wearing military-style uniforms at school and work. Boys in college had a required military training class, so they just wore their camo uniforms to school and often in public. The pattern they wore was this black and white scheme: Industry workers wore duck hunter camo (as you see in the picture) ...and he also likely had a required military training at work, similar to a "home guard" type program, and from what I've seen in photos, they trained with wooden rifles in lieu of actual firearms. You'd have to ask somebody from Korea who was around at that time to give you the exact name of this program for workers at that time.
Oh. I wonder why a KATUSA (Korean Augmentation to the United States Army) would be operating a blanking press at the Korean Mint? The camo pattern is most certainly one used by KATUSAs.
First, I have to apologize for post form. Somehow I hit the wrong button, and my comments show up as yours, when expanding your post. Anyway, at that time, the World Bank , via the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the International Finance Corporation, were building the infrastructure of what would become the powerhouse of the Bank Of Korea. General Park was the absolute control authority and training and preferred KATUSA employees both active and discharged, because of their language superiority and education level and experience working with foreign nationals, vis the Armed Forces. Many of the emerging industries preferred KATUSA. I can recall when I went to Seoul to buy the 1970 Gold Set, and it was very usual to see KATUSA employees. General Park loved his military and his KATUSA, and especially MACV assigned Korean Troops, and they always got first dibs on the preferred industrial and manufacturing positions, such as Mint product support factories. Anyway, your first observation is right. Was it compressor/hydraulic, or electric belt/gear driven?
