Part of the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the National Folk Museum is responsible for collecting, preserving, studying, researching, exhibiting, teaching and sharing ways of life, customs and instruments used in Korea and around the world. It was opened on October 30, 1992 at 37, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
Located in central Seoul, National Folk Museum aims to become a place of education where tourists can learn how Koreans have lived from the past to the present. The National Museum of Korea explores the daily life of Koreans in the past and present and from various sources.
The museum reflects everyday life and Korean history. The National Folk Museum of Korea is visited by more than two million people every year. We offer educational and cultural programs to better understand and experience the traditional Korean way of life. The National Museum of Anthropology has been studying and researching Korean folk culture since its establishment in 1946, acquiring, preserving, and exhibiting Korean folk cultural artifacts. Over the years, permanent and special exhibitions have been held, reports published, and lectures and other public education programs conducted. This is the twenty-first century, which requires museums to be more responsive to the public and to adopt an open and specialized approach.
The Korean National Folk Museum will build a creative and cultural space that enhances mutual communication and understanding with the world by implementing its key roles in integrating culture with technology (Cultural Technology), education with entertainment (Education), global culture with local culture (Globalization), and the natural environment with the museum (Environmental Museum).
To achieve the visions outlined above, they are pursuing a wide range of missions, including themed exhibitions, creating a museum network to promote cross-cultural understanding and collaboration around the world, and transforming the museum into a place of lifelong learning that encompasses creative research, exhibitions, and education.
In 1993, it opened at its current location, the former site of the National Museum of Korea. The design of the building is based on many historical buildings in South Korea.
The museum has three permanent exhibition halls and one outdoor exhibition hall, including an exhibition hall dedicated to the history of everyday life and culture of the Korean people, an exhibition hall dedicated to the Korean way of life, and an exhibition hall dedicated to the Korean life cycle. Special exhibitions are also held at least four times a year to expand the awareness of the Korean people.
-The permanent exhibition halls:
-Hall 1 of the museum (Korean Life History):
Restored and displays materials on the instruments of prehistoric life, the Bronze Age, the Three Kingdoms culture, prints of Goryeo and Celadon, Joseon science, technology and the development of Hangeul.
-Hall 2 of the museum (life, crafts and ceremony):
You can see folklore, livelihood, crafts, clothing, food and life.
Hall 3 of the Museum (Age of Koreans):
Birth and death, school, weddings and rituals, traffic and communication, folk sports, social order, rituals and folk beliefs.
-Outdoor Art Exhibition:
Garden of the Four Seasons, Bean Hut, Spinning Wheel, Smokers and Breakers, Dolharbang, Moon / Uninhabited Stone, Jangseung Park.
Examples of Sillas Anapji, the 9-story Hwangryongsa Temple, and Gyeongbokgung Palace are also on display. Exhibits of General Chun Ha Dai, General Jiu Hai, General Stone Dolphin and Yonga Mill are displayed throughout the museum.
-Gallery for Donations:
A permanent display area is located in the third exhibit room of Folk Museum. A theme is selected from among the donated objects, and four to five small donated art exhibitions are held annually. Special exhibitions, as well as specially planned donation exhibitions, are also held to recognize the great will of donors who contribute their own collections to the community.
- International Exchange Fair Gallery:
In line with the era of internationalization, the Foreign Exchange Fair is an exhibition to spread Korea's image abroad. For example, the Arirang trip was held at the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, and exhibitions such as the Daegangim Beijing Outing were held at the Beijing Korean Cultural Center.
-Museum of Children:
The Children's Museum, which focuses on hands- on reality and interaction with exhibits of traditional Korean folk life, is operated by the National Folk Museum of Korea. Artifacts and objects related to children are also collected, preserved and maintained by the Children's Museum. The museum fosters children's curiosity and encourages a deeper understanding of Korean history and culture.
-Korea's National Folk Museum is dedicated to collecting and preserving artifacts and information about traditional ways of life that are gradually disappearing due to modernization and urbanization. Materials acquired through sales, donations, or temporary loans are systematically integrated according to criteria for classifying folkloric materials after they have been scientifically processed and treated.
Various research projects are carried out in order to preserve images, films and videos from different folkloric venues. In addition, the museum regularly organizes and collects ethnological literature and a wide range of multimedia folkloric materials in folk archives for easier access.
-The National Folklore Museum of Korea offers a variety of educational programs for adults, multicultural and socially isolated groups. Moreover, traditional folk performances are constantly held to give visitors the opportunity to experience Korea's traditional arts.
-The National Folklore Museum of Korea hosts a folklore performance every weekend for domestic and foreign visitors to the museum.
From the Author: Merna Mohamed Fathy.
"Merna Mohamed is an Egyptian girl who is interested in Korean culture, food and archeological sites. She is enthusiastic about Korean culture and wants to realize her dream of studying in Korea and let everyone know how great this culture is and show Korea lovers the unknown side of Korean development and on the other hand the historical monuments. She wants to discover the social potential and values of Korea and pass them on to you."
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