Photo Museum and Hansik Culture Center ... Nine Themed Museums to Open in Seoul by 2023

'Seoul, the City of Museums and Art Galleries,' Expands to 14 Locations
Addressing Cultural Infrastructure Imbalance in Underserved Areas with Diverse Themes

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] In 2023, the first public 'Photography Museum' in Korea, where the 140-year history of Korean photography can be seen at a glance, will open in Dobong-gu, Seoul. In Geumcheon-gu, which has relatively few cultural facilities, the first public art museum in the southwestern area, 'Seoseoul Museum of Art,' will be established. Earlier, in 2021, the 'Hansik Culture Center,' a complex space for Korean food culture leading the K-Food wave, will also open in Samcheonggak, Seongbuk-gu.

Seoul City announced on the 21st that it will consecutively open nine 'theme-type museums' with various themes by 2023. Including five previously established facilities such as the Seoul Museum of History, Seoul Uri Sori Museum, Donuimun History Museum, Ieumpium Sewing History Museum, and Nam June Paik Memorial Hall, a total of 14 facilities will receive an investment of 340 billion KRW.

Since 2015, Seoul City has been promoting the 'Museum and Art Museum City, Seoul' project to expand citizens' cultural enjoyment rights and resolve cultural imbalances between regions. The goal is to move beyond museums that simply exhibit and preserve artifacts to build distinctive museums and art museums with various themes.

In particular, while existing museums and art museums are mainly located in downtown areas, the newly constructed facilities will be built in areas lacking cultural infrastructure such as Nowon, Dobong, and Geumcheon-gu to bridge cultural gaps and reflect the diversified interests of citizens.

The nine newly established theme-type museums are the Seoul Craft Museum (2020), Hanyangdoseong Relics Exhibition Hall (2021), Pyeongchang-dong Art and Culture Complex Space (tentative name, 2021), Hansik Culture Center (2021), Robot Science Museum (2022), Seoul City Integrated Storage (2022), Seoseoul Museum of Art (2023), Seoul Photography Museum (2023), and Pungnaptoseong Museum (2023).

Currently, the number of registered museums and art museums in Seoul is 175, with only 17 museums per 1 million people. This is significantly insufficient compared to 215 in London, UK (26 per 1 million), 231 in Los Angeles, USA (61 per 1 million), and 313 in Paris, France (149 per 1 million).

Meanwhile, to complete the 'Museum and Art Museum City, Seoul,' the city is not only expanding facilities but also implementing various support projects to revitalize private museums and art museums. The public-private cooperation body 'Museum and Art Museum City Seoul Policy Committee,' where experts from various fields propose diverse opinions on museum policies, is also in operation.

Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, said, "Although museums and art museums are barometers indicating the cultural level of a city, the number of museums and art museums in Seoul is insufficient compared to major cities worldwide, and cultural gaps between regions exist. We will continue efforts to expand 'theme-type museums,' especially in culturally underserved areas, so that all citizens can enjoy diverse cultural lives and advance Seoul as a 'world-class museum and art museum city.'"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.