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Cultural institutions tap power of art to heal national fractures
A poster for Museum and Gallery Week 2026 / Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
By Lee Kyung-min
Museums in Korea are being asked to do more than display relics behind the glass this May. They are being enlisted to help mend a fractured society.
Beginning Friday, more than 300 museums and art institutions across the country will take part in the 2026 Museum and Gallery Week, a nationwide cultural festival organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Running through May 31, the event adopts this year’s theme from the International Council of Museums: “Museums Uniting a Divided World.”
The slogan reflects an increasingly common expectation that museums should serve not only as custodians of the past, but also as civic spaces where communities can confront conflict, grief and difference.
In Korea, where regional divides, generational tensions and political polarization have sharpened in recent years, officials say museums can offer a quieter kind of public square.
The festival will unfold through three major programs.
One, called “Museum × Meet,” highlights 50 signature objects from institutions nationwide under the theme “Firsts, and Beginnings.” The selections range from Korea’s earliest postage stamp and a vintage Hyundai Pony automobile to manuscripts, ceramics and scientific instruments. Many institutions will pair the objects with lectures, workshops and special exhibitions.
A second program, “Museum × Enjoy,” features exhibitions, performances and educational events at 18 institutions. Several are explicitly social in tone, exploring care, healing and shared memory. In Seoul, one exhibition examines injured animals and the ethics of care, while another invites visitors to experience dining through the senses.
The third initiative, “Museum × Wander,” turns museums into gateways for regional travel. Guided tours in Gyeongju, Jeju, Seoul’s Seongbuk District and Gongju will connect galleries with nearby historic sites, architecture and local heritage.
The government has increasingly used cultural programming to stimulate domestic tourism beyond the Seoul metropolitan area, where many of the country’s largest institutions are concentrated.
Jeong Hyang-mi, director general for cultural policy at the ministry, said the event aims to reframe museums as spaces of communication and inclusion.
“‘2026 Museum and Gallery Week’ highlights the new value of museums and introduces their diverse appeal,” Jeong said. “We hope people rediscover the value of culture and the arts in their daily lives.”
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.