※ This video is part of the <Extreme Jobs - Making Bronze Sculptures> broadcast on November 4, 2009. ▶ War with Fire, Pour 1300-degree molten iron! A sculpture manufacturing factory in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do. As oil kilns were replaced with electric kilns, work became much easier as something that would have taken 4 hours to heat and melt could now be done in 30 minutes, but the danger also increased. The temperature of the molten iron boiling in the electric furnace is a whopping 1300 degrees Celsius. The electric furnace fire that makes the molten iron is over 1000 degrees. Even on chilly days, the workshop is a battlefield where you have to fight against the extreme heat, reminiscent of the scorching heat of summer. To make a bronze sculpture, the molten iron is melted with the exact right ratio of tin, copper, and phosphorus. The amount of molten iron melted at 1300 degrees is 650 kg. Two workers move a 60kg ladle of molten iron to the casting workshop and pour the molten iron, but the most important thing is their breathing. A momentary mistake can lead to a major accident. The workers' bodies are covered with large and small burn marks, and even after 30 years, the scars remain. Now, the burn marks are a proud badge of the dangerous and difficult times. ▶ The first step to breathe life into a sculpture is mold work! The first step to breathe life into a bronze sculpture is mold work. The mold is made by finely grinding sand or stone powder. The sand is important as the quality of the sand directly affects the sculpture. The workers are very careful because it is the first step in making a sculpture. Finally, they fix the mold with iron wire and make a sand prototype, but the mold keeps breaking. The atmosphere in the workshop darkens in an instant, but the workers do not give up and quickly repair the mold. Next, a space for the molten metal is created, and a 5mm thick layer of clay is placed between the sand mold and the mold, and molten metal is poured into the space where the 5mm of clay is missing. The shape of the casting is soon completed. The process of making a mold with sand is repeated several times to pour molten metal once. ▶ Breaking the sand mold and heralding a splendid revival! The foundry is filled with smoke as if a fire had broken out. The mold into which the molten metal was poured hardens, and finally the sculpture takes off the sand mold and announces a splendid revival. In order to remove the sand mold, workers continuously beat it with hammers, and they have to endure pain that feels like their arms are going to fall off. Their whole body is covered in dust and ash, and the work of pouring the molten metal and breaking the mold is more tense and physically demanding than ever. It is a work site where it is difficult to find workers due to the harsh working environment. On the day of pouring the molten metal, all the workers in the workshop stop what they are doing and join in pouring the molten metal. Early in the morning, workers are busy going on a field trip. They are doing emergency repair work on the statue of King Sejong and other sculptures that were installed at Gwanghwamun Square due to safety issues. Finally, they have arrived at Gwanghwamun Square. What kind of work awaits them? ▶ Revisiting the installation site of King Sejong in Gwanghwamun Early in the morning, workers are busy going on a field trip. They are doing emergency repair work on the statue of King Sejong and other sculptures that were installed at Gwanghwamun Square due to safety issues. The work vehicle leaving for the repair seems to have moved the foundry as it was, like a small foundry being moved in its entirety. Sculptures are not finished with a single installation, but require constant attention as they will last for a thousand years. The workers who arrived at the site quickly examine the statue of King Sejong. The reason for the emergency dispatch this time is that the armillary sphere that was supposed to rotate with King Sejong was fixed due to concerns that tourists’ hands might get hurt. It was a major task that took over three months just to pour the molten iron. The work of creating a national hero and installing it in the heart of the Republic of Korea is a once-in-a-lifetime pride for a sculpture artist. ▶ Emergency, stop the overflowing molten iron! The boiling molten iron is so dangerous that it could cause a major accident if it were to burst. Two workers had to move a ladle of molten iron weighing over 60 kg to the sand mold hundreds of times. The weight of the ladle and the molten iron combined exceeds 100 kg. The workshop was tense because of the molten iron that suddenly burst out of the mold. The overflowing molten iron quickly hardened and the workers’ expressions hardened. We couldn’t just sit back and watch. We had to find the cause. The mold had opened slightly due to a mistake in the composition, causing the molten iron to leak out. Fortunately, no major accident oc