The National Folk Museum of Korea (Director Jang Sang-hoon), under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, announced Tuesday that it will launch a series of commemorative projects spanning exhibitions, education and international cooperation, beginning with an 80th anniversary ceremony on Oct. 24.
"This project is based on the achievements accumulated since the museum's opening in 1946, and aims to redefine the museum's role and announce its future vision of 'A Window Open to the World, A Path Connected through Cooperation' at home and abroad," the museum said.
The 80th anniversary ceremony, scheduled for 3 p.m. on Oct. 24 at the museum's grand auditorium in Jongno-gu, Seoul, will mark the start of the commemorative projects. The event will be attended by domestic and international cultural figures, including Vice Minister Kim Young-soo of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Director Yoo Hong-june of the National Museum of Korea, and Director Chung May Khuen of the National Museum of Singapore.
The ceremony will feature a screening of an archival video chronicling the museum's 80-year history, congratulatory remarks from domestic and international figures, reports on the construction of the new Sejong building and the Global Folk Museum project, the proclamation of the museum's vision along with a promotional video, and a commemorative performance. The museum plans to announce its direction for evolving into a global folk museum during the ceremony.
The pop-up exhibition "In Praise of Folklore: 80 Years of the National Folk Museum of Korea," which also opens that day, presents the museum's past, present and future, offering visitors an opportunity to reflect on the significance of the past 80 years and share the vision for the future.
The museum will also publish a book titled "In Praise of Folklore: Folk Items Beloved by Curators," featuring special stories of curators' personal connections with the collection. The book introduces 84 items carefully selected by curators from the museum's diverse folk materials, conveying the traces of life embedded in the objects and the value of folklore in daily life in an accessible yet profound manner. The book will be sold at the museum's gift shop.
In December, the museum plans to publish the tentatively titled "80-Year History of the National Folk Museum of Korea," compiling records and achievements, and to produce an archival video visually capturing the museum's transformation over the years.
On Oct. 23, the international conference "The Future of the National Folk Museum of Korea as a Museum of World Cultures Based on Intercultural Understanding" will bring together experts from major museums worldwide, including the Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac in France, Qatar Museums, and the National Museum of Singapore. Participants will discuss the future direction of folklore and global folk museums, digital transformation, and visitor-centered services. The conference is expected to serve as an opportunity to contemplate the direction of museums dealing with world cultures and to concretize the museum's future vision.
Public participation programs are also planned. The museum will strengthen the public nature of and communication around folk culture through hands-on programs for visitors, Children's Day events organized in collaboration with foreign embassies and cultural centers in Korea, and a sketching contest for people with disabilities aimed at spreading social value.
The special hands-on program, themed "A Treasure When Strung Together, History When Used," allows visitors to create commemorative ballpoint pens decorated with miniatures of collection items, extending the meaning of folklore into everyday experience. Additionally, the "Children's Day Earth Playground" event, held again this year in cooperation with foreign cultural centers and embassies in Korea, will provide children—the leaders of future generations—with an opportunity to share the sensibilities of global citizenship and the value of coexistence.
"We will listen to diverse stories that start from individual lives and expand to communities and the world, and leap forward as a 'Global Folk Museum' that understands human life through folklore and communicates with the world," Director Jang Sang-hoon said.
The museum took its first step as the "National Ethnographic Museum" on April 25, 1946, was renamed the "National Folk Museum of Korea" in 1979, and has operated at its current location near Gyeongbokgung Palace since 1993. It aims to relocate to Sejong City by 2031. According to the museum, cumulative visitors from 1986 to 2025 reached 73.6 million. Notably, foreign visitors accounted for 30.65 million, the highest among Korea's national and public museums.
