Personnel exchange, joint research, exhibition and collection loans, etc.
"Continuously discovering multifaceted exchange and cooperation projects"
On the 27th (local time), the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. at the National Museum of Asian Art (NMAA) to significantly expand exchanges and cooperation between cultural institutions of the two countries. This is the first time that government agencies overseeing national cultural and artistic institutions of Korea and the U.S. have signed such an MOU. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism self-assessed that "a cultural cooperation foundation has been established between twenty-three domestic cultural and artistic institutions under national museums and art galleries and twenty-one cultural and artistic institutions under the Smithsonian Institution."
Going forward, the two countries will cooperate in personnel exchanges for curatorial research and expertise development, joint research in fields such as art, history, archaeology, culture, and conservation science, exhibitions and loaning of collections, and co-hosting public programs related to history and culture. Park Bo-gyun, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, "This is a symbolic event marking the 70-year Korea-U.S. alliance expanding into a 'Korea-U.S. cultural and artistic partnership,'" adding, "Based on mutual research exchange and cooperation projects in various fields, we will establish exchange programs for the MZ future generations of both countries."
Founded in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution holds approximately 150 million items in collections at the National Museum of Natural History, the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of American History, and others in Washington D.C. The annual number of visitors is about 30 million. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism first engaged in exchanges with the Smithsonian in 1961 when the National Museum of Natural History exhibited a Goryeo Dynasty iron Buddha statue. Since 2011, the ministry has supported budgets for improving the Korean Gallery at the National Museum of Asian Art. In 2019 and last year, they jointly planned and exhibited special exhibitions titled "Korean Buddhist Statues" and "Korean Chimi," respectively. In 2025, a special exhibition of donated items from the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee will also be held.
A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official explained, "The mutual understanding formed when Chase Robinson, director of the National Museum of Asian Art, visited Korea last November on his first overseas trip after COVID-19, has borne fruit on the occasion of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s visit and the 70th anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance." The official added, "Starting with a working-level meeting in June, we will seek concrete exchange and cooperation plans," and stated, "We will continuously discover multifaceted exchange and cooperation projects tailored to the themes of various museums and art galleries at all levels, and share know-how and experiences to satisfy visitors."
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