Museum Week kicks off with tours, discounts and a pitch contest

Korea's 2024 Museum Week, offering contests and interactive exhibits, kicked off across more than 200 venues.

This year's Museum Week [NATIONAL MUSEUM FOUNDATION OF KOREA]

The 2024 Museum Week kicked off Thursday across more than 300 cultural venues in Korea.

Museum Week, jointly hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Korean Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM KOREA) and the National Museum Foundation of Korea, is a promotional period during which museums offer discounts and unique experiences. The event was launched in 2012.

This year's Museum Week is slated to run through May 31 under the theme of “Museums for Education and Research.”

The opening ceremony took place at the Gujeong Art Center of Onyang Folk Museum in Asan, South Chungcheong. First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Jeon Byung-geuk as well as actor and painter Park Shin-yang were among the attendees. Park is the ambassador for this year’s Museum Week.

Park Shin-yang [JOONGANG ILBO]

Approximately 320 venues, including museums and cultural centers, are participating in this year's event, according to the Culture Ministry. Programs are split into three categories.

“Museum X Enjoy” includes 25 experimental exhibits and interactive educational sessions across 32 institutions. The programs were developed in cooperation with Korean cultural and artistic organizations and will cover themes ranging from the use of concrete in cultural artifacts to the settings of famous stories.

“Museum X Stroll” sheds light on unique regional establishments outside of Seoul. Guided tours of culturally significant spaces will be take place across six provinces. A total of 20 tours can accommodate 30 preregistered participants each.

“Museum X Painting” will include a contest where people can pitch their ideas for cultural merchandise; three winners will receive awards, and selected works will be produced for sale.

Programs prepared for the Museum Week. [MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM]

Some regional museums will participate in this year's Museum Week in hand with the Culture Ministry's Local 100 project. Local 100 is a two-year tourism promotion initiative with the goal of bringing 20 million foreign travelers to Korea by the end of 2024.

“This year’s Museum Week was planned to be an event with the concern of facilitating museums to become a cultural space for anyone, anytime, anywhere,” said the Culture Ministry's Jeon. “I hope Museum Week will bring the people a step closer to museums and visiting them more.”

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]