National Museum of Korea to ramp up outreach for 2024

A digitally reproduced memorial stele for Gwanggaeto the Great of Goguryeo is unveiled at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap)

Bringing some of the finest artworks to those less privileged or living in remote areas is a goal the National Museum of Korea intends to pursue this year, among other priorities, the state-run institution said Wednesday.

“Last year, our museums, including us and all the 13 spread across the country, set a milestone, breaking through the 10-million mark in annual attendance,” said Yoon Sung-yong, director general of the NMK, during a press conference on Wednesday.

The museum will build on the momentum this year, Yoon said, noting the NMK and its counterparts in regions outside of Seoul will seek to step up outreach programs.

Throughout the year, six small-scale exhibitions will travel to regions suffering from a shrinking population, showcasing several masterpieces including Shilla-era (57 BCE-CE 935) pottery, Baekje-era (18 BCE-CE 660) porcelain and golden crowns from those times. Each exhibition will take place at two regional public museums.

Festivals will also take place concurrently in partnership with local municipalities, the museum added, noting discussions were underway on when to hold those events.

The national museum’s outreach will extend abroad.

A touring exhibition is scheduled for the US and UK, with the state-run museum expected to show some of the donated works from the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee.

The tour is scheduled to kick off in November 2025, starting with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. It will then proceed to the Art Institute of Chicago in March 2026 and to the British Museum in September 2026.

In June, the NMK will launch a joint exhibition in Seoul with the Denver Art Museum in Colorado, exploring Native North American art from the 19th century. From July to September, another joint show with the Tokyo National Museum and the National Museum of China will feature lacquerware from the three countries, also in Seoul.

Meanwhile, the NMK unveiled ink rubbings of the memorial stele for King Gwanggaeto the Great of Goguryeo (37 BCE-CE 668), digitally reproduced for the first time. The posthumous monument was built by his son King Jangsu in 414.

The NMK added it plans to revamp galleries from the Paleolithic Age to the Goguryeo era, for the first time in 12 years. The museum expects to reopen them in December, a senior NMK official said, adding regular overhauls come in 10 years on average.

When asked if the renovation is being made in response to what some describe as China’s efforts to claim Goguryeo as its own, Yoon, the NMK’s director general, deflected, saying the update had been planned for some time.

By Choi Si-young(siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com)