Nam Taek-wook, Gyeongnam Provincial Councilor, Urges Government to Establish 'Lee Kun-hee Art Museum'

Nam Taek-wook, Gyeongnam Provincial Assembly Member (Democratic Party of Korea, Changwon 4)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Saeyan] Nam Taek-wook, a member of the Gyeongnam Provincial Assembly, has taken the lead in proposing a government recommendation urging the establishment of the Lee Kun-hee Art Museum in Gyeongnam.

Currently, 15 local governments nationwide, including seven in the Seoul metropolitan area, are fiercely competing to attract the art museum.

Recently, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism hinted in media reports that the museum would be located in the Seoul metropolitan area for better public accessibility, which has caused strong opposition from non-metropolitan regions.

Deciding to locate the art museum in the Seoul metropolitan area is said to deepen cultural polarization, contradict government policies emphasizing autonomy and decentralization, and go against the trend of the times.

Gyeongnam Province has deep-rooted ties with the Samsung Group.

Uiryeong County is the hometown of the late Chairman Lee Byung-chul and the place where the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee spent his childhood.

Jinju City Jisu Elementary School is the birthplace of the entrepreneurial spirit of the late Lee Byung-chul, and the cooperative rice mill founded in Masan in 1936 as the first business became the foundation of Samsung Group.

Additionally, Gyeongnam Province has produced numerous entrepreneurs leading the Korean economy, including LG Group Chairman Koo In-ho, GS Group’s late Chairman Heo Man-jung, and Hyosung Group Chairman Cho Hong-je.

Assemblyman Nam Taek-wook stated, "Uiryeong is the founder’s hometown, honoring Samsung’s entrepreneurial spirit through initiatives such as honorary road naming and the Hoam Cultural Festival. Historically and culturally, Gyeongnam is the optimal location and far more competitive than other local governments."

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