Park Han-sol reports on Korea's financial regulators, along with fintech and insurance. She previously wrote about the art world, from biennales and exhibitions to fairs and auctions, with a focus on Seoul and the figures shaping the scene. Before joining The Korea Times, she spent a year at ABC News' Seoul bureau, contributing to coverage of major Asia-Pacific events.
PHOTOS Islamic art at National Museum of Korea
A pair of mosque lamps from the Mamluk Dynasty that ruled Egypt and surrounding regions between the mid-13th and early 16th centuries are on display at the National Museum of Korea's newly established Islamic Art Gallery, Friday. The gallery's opening is marked by the inaugural exhibition, "Islamic Art: A Journey of Splendor," co-organized with the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar. Yonhap
By Park Han-sol
Korea's flagship museum opens its first dedicated Islamic Art Gallery
Calligraphic pottery tiles from the Ottoman Empire are among the 83 artifacts that are on display at the National Museum of Korea's new Islamic Art Gallery until Oct. 11, 2026. Yonhap
From left, National Museum of Korea (NMK) Director You Hong-jun; Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) Director Shaika Nasser Al-Nassr; MIA's Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs Mounia Chekhab Abudaya; and Qatari Ambassador to Korea Khalid Ebrahim Al-Hamar view a 14th-century Mihrab panel from the Ilkhanid Dynasty at "Islamic Art: A Journey of Splendor" at NMK, Friday. Yonhap
A visitor views a 17th-century throne carpet from the Safavid Empire at the National Museum of Korea's Islamic Art Gallery, Friday. Yonhap
A visitor takes a photo of "Folio from the Shahnama" (1525-40), or the Book of Kings, from the Safavid Empire, at the National Museum of Korea's Islamic Art Gallery, Friday. Yonhap
Among the exhibited artifacts at the National Museum of Korea's Islamic Art Gallery is a 17th-century brass celestial globe from the Mughal Empire. Yonhap