Greetings

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CEO Message Welcome to the National Museum of Contemporary Korean History

  • The history of the Republic of Korea (ROK) began with the Provisional Government of Korea in Shanghai, which was formed following the independence movement in March 1919 during Japanese colonial rule. The country underwent significant events such as liberation in 1945 and establishment of the government in 1948. This museum displays a range of artifacts and information associated with the country’s history.

    There have been many controversies about the interpretation of events in the country’s modern history. We at the museum will strive to accomplish objectives and reach balanced historical views, along with history-related reconciliation and healing, through discussions among those with different opinions.

    To such an end, we will ensure that this museum acts as a place where people with different historical views can coexist by shedding light on the history of citizens on a grassroots level, who faced painful time, and dark and negative facts about the country’s history, in addition to the history of the country’s industrialization and economic development. We will definitely hold sessions for discussions and consensus among experts, particularly those specializing in historiology and history education.
  • We will endeavor to be a museum cherished by people by conveying facts about the country’s modern periods using an easy and interesting approach. We will provide a space where students can have a hands-on experience of history taught at school textbooks through actual artifacts and discuss it with teachers. We will be a museum people would like to visit repeatedly through the development of high-tech exhibition contents combined with diverse cultural technologies.

    We will also develop a variety of educational programs for those interested in history. We will create opportunities for people of all ages to engage in topics that they are interested in. Rather than just giving general lectures, there will be time for discussions where people can ask questions and discuss different subjects among themselves.

    Recently, museums around the world are evolving as spaces for composite art and culture instead of being complacent as spaces for displaying olden-day relics. We will join them and be a place that provides diverse art and culture programs participated in and enjoyed by the general public. We hope the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History to become a place for culture and arts of all genres to blend with the history.

    Finally, we will always strive to communicate with people through our website and social media channels. Please join us in these efforts. This is a museum that was opened for and operates for you.
    Thank you.

    Director of the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History