Yongsan-gu's Full-Scale Effort to Attract the 'Lee Kun-hee Art Museum'

Yongsan-gu Proposes 'Lee Kun-hee Art Museum' Construction in Yongsan to Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism... Suggests Utilizing Ministry-Owned Land in Yongsan Family Park to Share 'Lee Kun-hee Collection' with More People... Plans to Operate 'Lee Kun-hee Collection' Tour Program

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Yongsan-gu (Mayor Seongjang Hyun) officially requested the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the 24th to establish the ‘Lee Kun-hee Art Museum’ in Yongsan.

The proposed location for the facility is a site owned by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism within Yongsan Family Park (Yongsan-dong 6-ga 168-6).

This site is located in the middle of the green corridor connecting Namsan and the Han River, close to the National Museum of Korea and the National Hangeul Museum, making it an area expected to see a surge in tourists once Yongsan National Park is developed.

Furthermore, the district anticipates that the establishment of the Lee Kun-hee Art Museum will further expand opportunities for the public to enjoy culture.

In April, 570,000 square meters around Yongsan-gu were newly designated as a ‘Regional Specialized Development Zone’ by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. Based on this, the district plans to carry out the ‘Yongsan Historical and Cultural Renaissance Project’ worth 51 billion KRW by 2024. It is analyzed that attracting the Lee Kun-hee Art Museum will create a synergy effect for the district’s historical and cultural renaissance project.

A district official stated, “The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism previously attempted to relocate the National Folk Museum and build the National Korean Literature Museum on this site,” adding, “Although neither project was realized, the location’s value remains sufficient.”

Yongsan-gu is a leading cultural tourism cluster in South Korea, home to about 20 museums and art galleries including the National Museum of Korea, National Hangeul Museum, Samsung Museum of Art Leeum, Amorepacific Museum of Art, and the Yongsan History Museum (scheduled to open in 2022).

It is also the ‘second hometown’ where the Samsung family, from founder Lee Byung-chul to the late Lee Kun-hee, have lived for generations. At this point, the ‘locational symbolism’ of establishing the Lee Kun-hee Art Museum here is considered the greatest.

The district has promised administrative support for the museum’s establishment. Additionally, once the museum is built, it plans to open and operate the ‘Lee Kun-hee Collection Tour Program’ linking the National Museum of Korea (ancient art), Lee Kun-hee Art Museum (modern art), and Samsung Museum of Art Leeum (contemporary art).

Seongjang Hyun, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “There is no location that can surpass Yongsan in terms of facility accessibility and exhibition connectivity,” and added, “We will develop the Lee Kun-hee Art Museum, National Museum of Korea, and Yongsan Park area into South Korea’s representative cultural tourism belt.”

He also emphasized, “The district will do its best to honor the late chairman’s wishes and properly pay tribute to him for the development of Korean culture.”

The family of the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee donated over 23,000 cultural assets and artworks last month on the 28th to the National Museum of Korea (about 21,600 items), National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (about 1,400 items), Park Soo-keun Museum (18 items), Gwangju Museum of Art (30 items), Jeonnam Provincial Museum of Art (21 items), Daegu Art Museum (21 items), and Lee Jung-seop Art Museum (12 items).

The cultural and art communities immediately welcomed the donation, and President Moon Jae-in also instructed the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the same day to establish a ‘Lee Kun-hee Special Exhibition Hall.’ Minister Hwang Hee recently stated in an interview with the media that the ministry is considering building the Lee Kun-hee Art Museum in the metropolitan area, which has the advantage of ‘securing accessibility.’

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