The National Jeju Museum, under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, announced that it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Kim Young-gap Gallery Dumoak Foundation and held a donation ceremony at the museum on Sunday.
Under the agreement, the Kim Young-gap Gallery Dumoak will donate works by the late photographer Kim Young-gap (1957–2005) to the National Jeju Museum. The MOU was established to enhance and promote the value of the donated cultural heritage. The two institutions agreed to cooperate in various areas including exhibitions, research, content development, and public relations.
A total of 98,542 items comprising 98,652 pieces — including photographs and film by the late Kim — will be transferred from the Kim Young-gap Gallery Dumoak in Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo, Jeju, to the National Jeju Museum. Kim is regarded as one of Jeju's most representative photographers, having spent his lifetime documenting the island's natural landscapes — its oreum volcanic cones, fields, winds, and clouds. His works hold both artistic and archival value as visual records capturing the passage of time and changes in Jeju's nature.
Through this partnership, the two institutions agreed to comprehensively preserve and manage Kim's works and related materials, and to share them with the public through exhibitions, research, and educational programs. The Kim Young-gap Gallery Dumoak will continue to serve as a space preserving the historical and on-site significance of the late photographer's creative studio, while the National Jeju Museum will be responsible for systematic preservation and utilization as a public cultural facility.
"This MOU and donation mark an important milestone in expanding Kim Young-gap's artistic legacy into a public asset," National Jeju Museum Director Kim Dong-woo said, according to the museum. "We will work to promote the value of Jeju's nature and cultural heritage through cooperation between the two institutions."
