5 MOST POPULAR KOREAN MUSEUMS- 2021 EDITION

Are you a fan of art or Korean culture? Korean arts and culture have evolved, let's go through this beautiful creation in Korean Museums.

In the early times of the dynasty eras, Koreans have developed a sense of artistic designs and patterns that showcased Korean culture.

The geographical location of the Korean peninsula made trading easy, regardless of land or sea. This shapes the development of artworks in the past. 

(Image source: https://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/mapsonline/base-maps/north-and-south-korea-provincial-map)

Today, many have also come to Korea to promote their artwork and bring different cultures into the local culture.

Kpop and Kdrama have also started to become a trend and are contributing to Korea’s culture. Music, art, clothing, and dance are some of the features that shape culture.

These arts are now kept in museums for people to learn and look at.

This lets people back in time and looks at the traditions of the past.  Let’s look into the 5 most popular Korean museums that you should totally check out the next time you are in Korea.

The National Museum of Korea (국립중앙박물관)

(Image source: https://theculturetrip.com/asia/south-korea/articles/12-best-museums-in-south-korea)

 

The National Museum of Korea is one of the oldest museums in Seoul, Korea. It stores a huge variety of cultural heritage that ranges across the dynasties.

The chronology of the dynasties can give visitors an understanding of the past of the land.

Artifacts from other countries such as Egypt and Greece are also displayed here to bring international culture in and appreciation.

There is a performing arts theatre for educational purposes. There is also a Children's Museum. Guided tour services will be available for international visitors. 

BTS has also performed “Boy with Luv”, “Spring Day” and “Mikrokosmos” at the National Museum of Korea for the Class of 2020! Check out the video here:

 

Few information about this place:-

Opening Hours/ Admission Fees:

https://www.museum.go.kr/site/eng/content/hours_and_fees 

Suggested duration: 2-3 hours

Website: https://www.museum.go.kr/site/eng/home

Address: 137 Seobinggo-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, 04383, Republic of Korea

(Image source: https://www.museum.go.kr/site/eng/content/transportation_subway)

 

Mimesis Art Museum (미메시스 아트 뮤지엄)

(Image source: https://www.archdaily.com/78936/mimesis-museum-alvaro-siza-castanheira-bastai-arquitectos-associados-jun-sung-kim) 

 

The building architecture was designed by Álvaro Siza, Carlos Castanheira, and Jun Sung Kim.

The building is designed with the embracing of modernity. It is famous for having multiple exhibition spaces for the display of artworks.

(Image source: https://www.carloscastanheira.pt/project/mimesis-museum/)

 

The popularity of the museum was brought in by the media and gained vast popularity around the world. The simple colors of the building have gained the love of most of the visitors. 

Did you know that the building was inspired by a cat and was an award-winning project? Anyways, if you like more Westernised art, this is the best place for you! 

The location is away from Seoul, so it might be better to plan your traveling time first before your visit! 

Kdramas like Nevertheless (2021, episode 1) and Vincenzo (2021, episode 7) were filmed here too! 

(Image source: https://koreandramaland.com/listings/mimesis-art-museum/)

(Image source: https://koreandramaland.com/listings/mimesis-art-museum/)

Few information about this place:-

Opening Hours/ Admission Fees: https://mimesisartmuseum.co.kr/%EC%9D%B4%EC%9A%A9%EC%95%88%EB%82%B4Visit 

Website: https://mimesisartmuseum.co.kr/ 

Address: Paju Book City, 253 Munbal-ro, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

 

SOMA Museum of Art/ Seoul Olympic Museum of Art (소마미술관)

This contemporary art museum was opened in 2004 as a part of an art space in Seoul’s Olympic Park. The museum is known for its structure built on water.

The museum has 2 buildings, 4 exhibition halls and multiple multi-functional hallways. The exhibitions are different from time to time! So check out their website to know more about the current exhibitions before going!

After visiting the museum, visitors can walk around the Olympic Park and explore the land of historical Baekje era’s remains.

There are also other sites nearby you might want to check out: Mongchontoseong Fortress, Olympic Park Stadium, Mongchon Museum of History, and Olympic Ice Skating Rink. 

Did you know that Her Private Life (2019), starring Park Min-young and Kim Jae-wook is also filmed here! It is the setting for ‘Cheum Museum of Art’.

(Image source: https://koreandramaland.com/listings/soma-museum-of-art/)

Few information about this place:-

Opening hours/ Admission Fees: https://soma.kspo.or.kr/eng/ucms/contents/600062 

Suggested duration: 1 hour

Website: https://soma.kspo.or.kr/eng/main 

Address: 424 Olympic-ro, Oryun-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea

(Image source: https://olympicpark.kspo.or.kr:441/jsp/english/contents/guide/pop_olparkmap_all.jsp)

 

National Palace Museum of Korea (국립고궁박물관)

(Image source: https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=268178 )

 

For those of you who love history, this place is right for you! The museum displays items dated back to the Joseon dynasty.

There is also more information about the royalty and the culture back in the past. 

The museum has 13 exhibitions and is free to exhibit. It is near Gyeongbokgung Palace so you might want to visit the museum the next time you are visiting the palace.

Few information about this place:-

Opening hours/ Admission Fees: https://www.gogung.go.kr/viewInfo.do?pLng=en 

Website: https://www.gogung.go.kr/fore/main.do?pLng=en 

Address: 12 Hyoja-ro, Cheongun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

(Image source: https://www.gogung.go.kr/map.do?pLng=en)

 

K Museum of Contemporary Art (K현대미술관)

(Image source: https://eazel.net/museums/159)

 

This museum involves artworks that interact with the audience. The aim of KMCA is to let visitors understand contemporary art better and enjoy themselves at the same time.

There are a lot of different themes present for viewing. The exhibitions are presented in hope of providing insights into art productions from processes to the final art piece to the audiences.

(Image source: https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g294197-d17341223-i436618469-K_Museum_Of_Contemporary_Art-Seoul.html)

 

The museum is situated in Gangnam district so the location is easily accessible by public transport. 

 Few information about this place:-

Opening hours: 

Tue-Sun 10am-7pm

Closed every Monday

Suggested duration: 2 hours 30 minutes 

Website: https://www.kmcaseoul.org/ 

Address: 807 Seolleung-ro, Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea

 

Would you like to experience Korea? Check out our SeoulBox with the link here. 

Which Korean museum would you like to visit? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

Author - Tiffany