'Code Greeting Controversy' Yoon Beom-mo, Director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Announces Resignation

Resignation Announcement with 1 Year and 10 Months Left in Term
Opinions Divided on Reasons for Resignation Including Government Pressure and Internal Issues

Yoon Beom-mo, the director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, has tendered his resignation to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism with 1 year and 10 months remaining in his term.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the art community on the 13th, Director Yoon met with Park Bo-gyun, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in Sejong City on the 10th and conveyed his resignation.

Director Yoon was appointed as the 20th director in February 2019 and was reappointed through a re-application process in January last year. With 1 year and 10 months left until February 2025, the background of Director Yoon's resignation has not been disclosed.

Previously, Director Yoon continued his external activities, including attending and viewing exhibitions at the opening of the Gallery Art Fair the day before.

Inside and outside the art community, attention is focused on whether Director Yoon’s early resignation, after being reappointed by the previous administration, was voluntary or involuntary.

Since his reappointment, Director Yoon has consistently faced controversy over what was called a "preemptive appointment." There have also been claims that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism indirectly pressured him to resign through a special audit of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art conducted last year. After the audit results were announced, voices demanding Director Yoon’s resignation continued within the art community.

Internal organizational management issues are also analyzed to have had an impact. Since the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art labor union issued a statement in January last year, the museum has been embroiled in ongoing controversies over "gapjil" (abuse of power). In response, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism pointed out in the audit results released in January that Director Yoon was aware of some department heads’ "gapjil" behavior but neglected his duties by turning a blind eye.

Furthermore, opinions have been raised that Director Yoon’s decision to resign may be due to the burden caused by the overall dysfunction in museum operations, as the long-vacant position of the museum’s chief curator has continued to be postponed.

Director Yoon debuted in 1982 as an art critic through the Dong-A Ilbo New Year's Literary Contest and has worked as a critic and exhibition planner. In the early 1980s, he was an active founding member of "Reality and Speech," which led the Minjung art movement, gaining recognition as a theorist of Minjung art. He served as a professor at Gachon University’s College of Fine Arts and as a distinguished professor at Dongguk University. He was the exhibition director of the Gwangju Biennale special exhibition and president of the Korean Modern and Contemporary Art History Association, and was appointed director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art through a public competition in February 2019.

If the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism accepts Director Yoon’s resignation, the Ministry of Personnel Management is expected to proceed with the open recruitment process for the director position, classified as a high-ranking open contract position.

The director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art is a career open position with a three-year term. Until a new director is appointed, the museum will be operated under the acting director of the Planning and Operations Division. If Director Yoon leaves his post, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art will face an unprecedented situation with both the director and chief curator positions vacant simultaneously.

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