The new center, which is expected to be completed by 2026, will have nearly 120,000 literary materials and will focus on both the past and the future. It will be a new symbolic place of “hallyu“, the South Korean cultural wave that, along with music and television series, is also making the country’s writers known throughout the world.
Rome (/Agencies) – The place will be “a really big and strong nest for Korean literature, which will be able to spread its wings and fly high, not only in Korea but also in world culture.” With these words reviewed by The Korea Times, Director Moon Chung-hee described the new National Museum of Korean Literature (NMKL), the first in the country, whose works were inaugurated today in Seoul in the presence of Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-chon.
Located in the northwestern area of Jingwan-dong, construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. The center will have an area of 14,993 square meters and will be spread over four floors, two of which will be underground; The main theme around which it is developed is the “village landscape”, which completes the natural backdrop of Mount Bukhan, a hill located on the northern outskirts of Seoul. The estimated cost for the entire project is 71.6 billion won ($52.8 million). The spaces in which the structure will be articulated are a permanent exhibition hall with the history and future of Korean literature, along with spaces for temporary exhibitions, an outdoor garden, educational and interactive areas, a multipurpose auditorium and a deposit.
Director Moon Chung-hee explained that the NMKL team has carefully collected and saved from oblivion literary objects that are considered heritage of Korean history. “When it opens in 2026, it will firmly establish its position as a truly representative museum of Korean literature, considering that it already possesses nearly 120,000 literary materials,” he said at the ceremony. Minister Yu In-chon expressed the full support of the institutions and his Ministry for the project. “As global attention to Korean literature increases, it is not surprising that Korean writers are receiving recognition at international awards,” he said. The growing interest in Korean culture is a consequence of the hallyu Korean, the cultural wave that has spread throughout the world thanks to K-pop music – represented by groups like BTS and Blackpink, which have established themselves solidly in the Western market – and television series.
And the same thing happens with literature, which is spreading more and more around the world and easily enters bookstores in Europe and not only there, thanks to the translated texts of contemporary writers such as Han Kang, Kyung-Sook Shin and Lee Min Jin. They are voices that contribute to making known the different facets of Korean reality through various genres and styles. Among them, Kang Hwa-gil, who addresses the issue of gender violence; Bae Myung-hoon, which deals with the theme of the connection between large economic groups and power; and Jung-Myung Lee, who talks about the hope of the new generations. But also Ko Un, poet and writer, one of the most authoritative representatives of contemporary South Korean culture, nominated three times for the Nobel Prize in Literature between 2002 and 2005. The desire that animates the construction of the new museum is also that literature can reach “new heights,” said Moon Chung-hee, referring to the current interest in Korean writers around the world.
After the opening ceremony, Minister Yu In-chon met with some representatives of the literary world to discuss how to improve support for the writing and translation sector; One of the ideas is the organization of a Korean literature festival. During the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 AD), works were generally historical and mythological in nature. With the introduction of the Chinese writing system, literary texts began to reflect Confucian and Buddhist influences. In the Joseon period (1392-1897), literature flourished with the use of the Hangul alphabet, created in the 15th century. Poets like Hwang Jin-i and novelists like Kim Man-jung made valuable contributions. After the liberation of Japan in 1945, South Korean literature addressed themes such as modernization, the wound of the country’s division, and Korean cultural identity, with authors such as Yi Mun-yol and Han Kang gaining international recognition.
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