Yu Hongjun Appointed Director of National Museum of Korea... "The Right Person to Promote the Value of Korean Cultural Heritage"

Promoting the Value of Cultural Heritage Through "My Exploration of Cultural Heritage"
Applied for the Director Position in 2003, Later Withdrew
Appointed as Director After More Than 20 Years

Yu Hongjun, the newly appointed director of the National Museum of Korea, is regarded as one of the most prominent figures in the field of cultural heritage. His "My Exploration of Cultural Heritage" series, written after traveling throughout the country, is considered a masterpiece that explains the value of cultural heritage to the public in an accessible way. After applying for the position of director of the National Museum of Korea in 2003 and later withdrawing, he has now assumed the post more than 20 years later.

Professor Yu Hongjun appointed as the new director of the National Museum of Korea. Presidential Office

Director Yu, who was born in Seoul in 1949, graduated from Seoul National University and pursued a doctoral program in art philosophy at Sungkyunkwan University Graduate School. In 1974, he was imprisoned in connection with the National Federation of Democratic Youth and Students (Mincheonghakryeon) incident, but later worked in the editorial departments of "Space" and "Quarterly Art," embarking on a career as an art critic. From 1978 to 1983, he worked as a reporter in the quarterly art department of JoongAng Ilbo, and in 1981, he made his debut as an art critic in the Dong-A Ilbo's New Year's Literary Contest.

Director Yu became widely known to the public through his best-selling series "My Exploration of Cultural Heritage." He is credited with leading the rediscovery of the value of national cultural heritage by presenting it in an engaging manner. In addition to this, he has published a variety of books, including "Pilgrimage to the National Museum," "Yu Hongjun's Lectures on Korean Art History," "Chusa Kim Jeonghui," "Lives of Painters," and the collection of essays "Again on the Horizon of Reality and Tradition."

From September 2004 to February 2008, he served as the head of the Cultural Heritage Administration (now the National Heritage Administration). He resigned from the position, taking responsibility for the fire at Sungnyemun that occurred during his tenure.

Yu is the third person, following Lee Geonmu and Choi Kwangsik, to have held both the positions of head of the Cultural Heritage Administration and director of the National Museum of Korea. Lee Geonmu and Choi Kwangsik each served as director of the National Museum of Korea before being appointed as head of the Cultural Heritage Administration.

The Presidential Office, in appointing Yu as director, stated, "He is the right person to enhance the public's sensitivity to and participation in cultural heritage, and to further elevate Korea's global standing through reinterpretation of traditional heritage."