Culture Ministry Awards 13 Employees for Achievements Including Planning "Yi Sun-sin" Exhibition with 400,000 Visitors

by Park Pyunghee

Published 29 Apr.2026 11:20(KST)

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on April 29 that it will award 13 employees (5 teams totaling 12 people and 1 individual) who have delivered outstanding results, including Researcher Seo Yunhee and Researcher Yoo Saerom, who planned the special exhibition "Our Yi Sun-sin" at the National Museum of Korea.

Seo Yunhee and Yoo Saerom, researchers at the National Museum of Korea, organized the special exhibition "Our Yi Sun-sin," which was held from November 28 of last year to March 3 of this year. This exhibition achieved the third-highest attendance among all special exhibitions ever held at the National Museum of Korea, and set a new record as the largest special exhibition based on Korean heritage, attracting a total of 407,045 visitors. Seo Yunhee and Yoo Saerom persuaded representatives from 45 institutions and individual artifact holders worldwide to bring together 369 items for the exhibition. They also curated an immersive exhibition that shed light on "Yi Sun-sin as a human being," beyond the typical hero narrative, which resonated strongly with the public and received widespread acclaim.

Choi Hwi-young, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is taking a commemorative photo with the awardees at the "Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Special Achievement Award Ceremony and Non-Productive Work Reduction Contest Award Ceremony" held on the 29th at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's main conference room in Building 15 of the Government Sejong Complex. Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Kim Yoomi, Director of the Popular Culture Industry Division, along with officials Park Inhye and Chun Hyejeong, and Lee Raki from the Emergency and Safety Planning Office, are being recognized for preventing illegal ticket scalping and managing on-site safety at the BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) Gwanghwamun concert held last month, thereby maintaining order in the concert market. Cha Danbi from the International Sports Division and Lee Seungyeop, a staff member, are being honored for their support in ensuring the safe participation of the national team at the "2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics" and for successfully operating the Korea House. In addition, Kim Wooseok and Lee Saeha from the Digital Communication Content Division planned and produced 15 short videos reflecting the characteristics of policy beneficiaries at each life stage as part of the "2026 Policy Changes" campaign, which ran from January to March. Kim Onseung from the Overseas Public Relations Planning Division is being awarded for publishing the "Overseas Korea Fact-Checking Service Casebook," which selected 52 major cases of misinformation about Korea abroad and provided accurate, credible information verified by relevant agencies. Furthermore, Kim Jieun, Director of Cultural Strategy, and Kim Taehyung from the Game Content Industry Division are being recognized for establishing the "Center for Relief from Probability-Based Item Damage" within the Game Rating and Administration Committee (officially launched in February 2026), creating an integrated support system so that game users can receive counseling and assistance for damages caused by probability-based items.

Minister Choi Hwi-young stated, "This award recognizes employees who have achieved results through new attempts and innovation, significant ripple effects, and dedicated effort from the public’s perspective. From the highly acclaimed exhibition that drew 400,000 visitors to the flawless safety management of a large-scale performance watched by 18.4 million viewers worldwide, the expertise and commitment of our staff have produced truly remarkable outcomes."