National Korean Literature Museum to Host "Korea Literature Festival" with Nine Regional Literature Museums Nationwide

Korea Literature Festival to Be Held September 12-25
Nine Regional Literature Museums Join Led by the National Korean Literature Museum
Unique Literary Programs Reflecting Regional Characteristics
National Korean Literature Museum Construction to Be Completed in 2026
Official Opening Scheduled for 2027

The National Korean Literature Museum, in collaboration with nine regional literature museums, will host the "2025 Korea Literature Festival" from September 12 to 25. This year, the National Korean Literature Museum will serve as the central institution, working with local cultural museums nationwide to present special exhibitions and literary experience programs.

2025 Korea Literature Festival Poster. Provided by the National Korean Literature Museum

This year's festival will feature nine regional museums, selected through a review process from over 100 local cultural museums partnered with the National Korean Literature Museum. In April, the National Korean Literature Museum designated the following as regional representatives: Gyeongnam Literature Museum (Changwon), Kim Yujeong Literature Village (Chuncheon), Daejeon Literature Museum (Daejeon), Mokpo Literature Museum (Mokpo), Seokjeong Literature Museum (Buan), Shin Dongyeop Literature Museum (Buyeo), Yosan Kim Jeonghan Literature Museum (Busan), Lee Yuksa Literature Museum (Andong), and Jeju Literature Museum (Jeju). Each will present unique literary programs reflecting their distinct characteristics.

First, the National Korean Literature Museum will hold a special exhibition titled "A House Built on Dreams" at Tapgol Art Museum until September 20, commemorating the 300th anniversary of the Naju edition of the novel "The Cloud Dream of the Nine," with "dream" as its theme. At Kim Yujeong Literature Village in Chuncheon, Kim Yujeong's novels "Spring, Spring" and "Camellia" will be reinterpreted as participatory theater programs. Yosan Kim Jeonghan Literature Museum in Busan will present a webtoon adaptation of Kim Jeonghan's renowned work "The Story of the Sandbar." Lee Yuksa Literature Museum in Andong will showcase Lee Yuksa's "Wilderness" and "Flower" as K-pop style media art. Finally, Jeju Literature Museum will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Jeju's designation as the "Island of World Peace" with an exhibition and symposium offering a multidimensional look at Indian Nobel laureate Tagore and author Han Kang.

2025 Korea Literature Festival Regional Event Guide. Provided by the National Korean Literature Museum

In addition, Gyeongnam Literature Museum, Mokpo Literature Museum, Seokjeong Literature Museum, and Shin Dongyeop Literature Museum will present a variety of content that reinterprets text-centered literature through diverse interdisciplinary art genres such as music, visual arts, theater, and performance. The festival will also enhance public engagement with literature through author talk concerts, reading sessions, theatrical performances, literary tours, and more, while expanding collaborations with local writers, literary organizations, and independent bookstores.

Moon Jeonghee, Director of the National Korean Literature Museum, stated, "I hope that regional literature museums will use this festival as an opportunity to discover and preserve local literary heritage, serving as a hub to promote the excellence and artistic potential of K-literature." She added, "As the central institution representing literature museums nationwide, the National Korean Literature Museum will contribute to revitalizing regional literature museums and enhancing literary enjoyment for local communities."

The National Korean Literature Museum was established in 2019 based on the Literature Promotion Act enacted in 2016. It currently serves as the central institution for more than 120 regional cultural museums across the country. The museum plans to establish evaluation criteria for literature museums, which have so far been created without specific standards by region, and to develop measures for mutual cooperation. Construction of the museum was delayed after the establishment of the foundation, but it is currently underway in Jingwan-dong, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. After completion in December next year, the museum will undergo a temporary pilot operation period, with an official opening scheduled for the first half of 2027.

Regarding the opening, Director Moon said, "We are diligently collecting materials to become a 'house of language' that represents the soul and identity of the Korean people. The collection now includes 110,000 artifacts," adding, "We plan to present the comprehensive history of Korean literature, from 'Gongmudohaga' (the oldest extant poem from the Gojoseon era) onward."

Director Moon Jeonghee is a prominent Korean poet who has been actively creating works for over 50 years. She has served as a distinguished professor in creative writing at Dongguk University, a professor in creative writing at Korea University, president of the Korean Poets Association, and a board member of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. Since the launch of the National Korean Literature Museum foundation in 2019, she has participated as a board member and was appointed director in October 2022. Her term is three years, with one month remaining.