National Hangeul Museum Fire in February
Detailed Safety Inspection Reveals Need for Additional Repairs
Closed Until 2028 for Restoration and Fourth-Floor Expansion
No Damage to Artifacts... Now Managed at Nearby Storage Facilities
Exhibitions and Educational Programs Continue with Support from Related Organizations
The National Hangeul Museum, under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will remain closed until the second half of 2028 to restore damage caused by a fire that broke out during the 'Creation of Educational Spaces and Office Expansion Construction' project in February. However, during the construction period, the museum plans to maintain its exhibition and educational functions by utilizing spaces of related organizations such as the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
On the morning of the 9th, at a restaurant near the National Hangeul Museum in Yongsan, Seoul, Director Kang Jungwon is explaining future plans during a press briefing. Photo by Seo Mideum
At a press briefing held in Yongsan, Seoul on the 9th, Director Kang Jungwon announced the construction plans, stating, "We will reflect the results of the detailed safety inspection, begin the design phase in October this year, start construction in July next year, and aim to reopen in October 2028."
The National Hangeul Museum had been conducting a project to renovate its existing three-story building into a four-story structure as part of the 'Creation of Educational Spaces and Office Expansion Construction,' with completion originally scheduled for October 2025. However, a fire that broke out during work in February last year caused significant damage. Since the museum was closed at the time, there were no visitor injuries, but the third-floor children's exhibition hall, which contained many flammable materials, was severely damaged, and the special exhibition hall on the same floor suffered extensive soot damage from the fire. During firefighting efforts, the second-floor permanent exhibition hall was flooded with water, and the first-floor storage room experienced minor water leakage.
The detailed safety inspection conducted after the fire found that structural reinforcement, such as replacing some steel beams in the third-floor Hangeul Playground, was necessary, and that other areas required surface treatment of the steel beams and slab undersides. The museum formed an advisory committee with experts recommended by the Korea Infrastructure Safety and Technology Corporation and the Korea Professional Engineers Association to ensure the reliability of the inspection.
The restoration project will integrate the structural reinforcement of the Hangeul Playground, restoration of the fire-damaged areas on the third floor, repair of the building's exterior walls, and the original expansion work (first-floor educational space and fourth-floor offices). The total project budget is 17.5 billion won, with 4 billion won allocated in the 2026 budget.
Director Kang stated, "At the time of the fire, all artifacts were stored in the storage room, so fortunately, there was no damage. After the fire was extinguished at 12:30 p.m. that day, a check of the storage room revealed some moisture infiltration, so additional waterproofing was immediately carried out, and the artifacts were transferred to the storage facilities of the National Museum of Korea and the National Folk Museum of Korea."
Regarding the construction period, which has nearly doubled from the originally planned one year, Kang explained, "At the time of the fire, less than 90% of the original construction had been completed. With the addition of restoration design for the third floor, the construction period has been extended. Once the design is finalized soon, the construction schedule may be recalculated."
Regarding the possibility of exercising the right to indemnity against the contractor responsible for the construction at the time of the fire, Kang said, "The contract ends in October this year. Since we have fire insurance, the relevant indemnity claim will be handled by the insurance company. We are also considering exercising indemnity rights for other damages."
Exhibitions Continue... Utilizing Spaces of Related Organizations
Even during the closure, collection management, exhibitions, and educational activities will continue. Approximately 90,000 items in the collection are being safely managed at the National Museum of Korea, the National Folk Museum of Korea, and the National Museum of World Writing Systems, and collection and registration work is proceeding as usual. Newly acquired items are released through the online archive 'Newly Arrived Hangeul Heritage,' and a new section, 'Archive Walk of the Month,' has been established to introduce major materials by theme.
In 2025, the museum will hold seven regional traveling exhibitions and two special exhibitions as planned. In November this year, the exhibition 'Letter Sense: Writing and Tools' will be held at Culture Station Seoul 284 RTO. In 2026, three special exhibitions will be held to commemorate the 580th anniversary of the proclamation of Hunminjeongeum, the 100th anniversary of Hangeul Day, and the 100th anniversary of Hunmaengjeongeum.
Educational programs will be offered both online and in-person. Online classes will be conducted from the studio at Culture Station Seoul 284, while classes for foreigners and elementary students will be held at 'Byeotdeuljae' in the National Folk Museum of Korea, and classes for people with disabilities will be held at 'Modu Art Space' in the Korea Disability Arts and Culture Center.
The popular Hangeul Playground will be completed in Sejong City by October 2025, and starting in 2026, one new location will be added each year in different regions. The character 'Mallangtongtong,' developed this year, will be introduced for the first time at the Sejong branch.
Research and publishing activities will also remain active. Six Hangeul-related books, including '100 Hangeul Cultural Knowledge' and the English edition of 'Easy Hangeul,' are scheduled for publication. On November 2, the 'Traveling Dialect Story Concert' will be held at the Suncheon Youth Center.
In addition, to mark Hangeul Day, events such as leaflet distribution, quiz solving, and souvenir giveaways will be held on October 9 at the plaza in front of the Mirror Pond at the National Museum of Korea. On October 14, the '3rd International Museum Forum' will take place at the International Conference Hall of the Korea Press Center, and for one month, award-winning entries from the photo, video, and handwritten letter contests will be exhibited at the Ichon Station Nadil-gil walkway.
Director Kang emphasized, "We sincerely apologize to the public for the unavoidable long-term closure due to the restoration work from the fire. We will do our utmost to ensure that exhibition, research, and educational functions are not neglected during the closure and will make every effort to manage the project so that construction proceeds without delay."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
