Special Committee for Private Promotion of Lee Kun-hee Art Museum Yongsan Construction "Support for Lee Kun-hee Art Museum Yongsan Construction"

Ha Jung-min Lee Geon-hee Art Special Exhibition Hall Yongsan Construction Private Promotion Committee Chairman

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The Private Promotion Committee for the Construction of the Lee Kun-hee Art Special Exhibition Hall in Yongsan (Chairman Ha Jung-min) will hold a press conference at 10:30 a.m. on the 11th at the first-floor book cafe of the Yongsan Cultural Center (28 Hyochangwon-ro 8-gil) to announce a statement for the construction of the Lee Kun-hee Art Special Exhibition Hall in Yongsan.

The committee consists of 677 members including Ha Jung-min, President of the Korea Public Art Association; Kim Kyung-ah, Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Sookmyung Women’s University; Park Sam-gyu, President of the Seoul Cultural Center Federation; Cha Dae-young, former Chairman of the Korea Fine Arts Association; professors Kwon Hee-yeon, Hwang Soon-sun, Seo Soo-kyung, and Park Hoon-sung from Sookmyung Women’s University College of Fine Arts; Shin Geum-seop, President of the Seoul Branch of the Korea Fine Arts Association; Lee Seok-soon, Chairman of the National Veterans Culture and Arts Association; Song Geun-young, President of the Korean Painting Women Artists Association; Kwon Dae-ha, President of the Jung-gu Art Association; Yoon Song-ah, Public Relations Ambassador of the Korea Fine Arts Association; Kang Esther, President of the Yongsan Art Association; Jo Yoon-gon, President of the Yongsan Calligraphy Association; Choi Hae-wook, President of the Yongsan Photography Association; and Kang Jung-eun, head of the social contribution art group P4P.

In their statement, they expressed “strong support for the government’s construction of the Lee Kun-hee Art Museum,” asserting that “a special exhibition hall for Lee Kun-hee’s art collection, which is a precious cultural heritage of global value, should be properly preserved and built in Yongsan where many people can enjoy it.”

They added, “Yongsan is the most suitable place to carry on the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s will as it houses his residence, the Samsung Museum of Art Leeum, and the National Museum of Korea, which holds most of the donated works.”

Furthermore, they stated, “Yongsan is the center of Seoul and a transportation hub, making it the optimal location where more citizens can easily and comfortably visit than any other area,” and proposed “the construction of the Lee Kun-hee Art Museum in Yongsan, where the future Yongsan Park and existing abundant cultural facilities will highlight the value of the donated artworks.”

Chairman Ha Jung-min said, “Although Yongsan-gu has already declared its intention to host the Lee Kun-hee Art Museum, we are issuing this statement to support the effort from the private sector,” and added, “We hope the museum will be built near Yongsan Family Park as proposed by the district.”

Last month, Yongsan-gu officially declared its intention to attract the Lee Kun-hee Art Museum through a press release. The district formally proposed to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to utilize the ministry-owned site within Yongsan Family Park (168-6, Yongsan-dong 6-ga) and promised administrative support during the museum’s construction process.

Additionally, the district plans to link the museum construction with its ongoing 51 billion KRW ‘Yongsan Historical and Cultural Renaissance Project’ to maximize synergistic effects. It also intends to establish and operate the ‘Lee Kun-hee Collection Tour Program,’ which will connect the National Museum of Korea (Ancient Art), the Lee Kun-hee Art Museum (Modern Art), and the Samsung Museum of Art Leeum (Contemporary Art).