Culture Ministry to announce plans for Lee Kun-hee collection Wednesday

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is to share plans about the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s art collection, and is expected to mention the possibility of opening a new museum.

The ministry announced Thursday that details on some 23,000 artworks donated by Lee’s family, will be shared next week at a briefing at the government complex in central Seoul.

On April 28, President Moon Jae-in called for coming up with ways to manage the art collection, including the possibility of opening a separate exhibition hall or a museum to exhibit the art works to the public. The Culture Ministry launched a task force regarding the plan.

Since then, cities and legislators across the nation are claiming to build a museum for the donated artworks in their region.

Some have called for the government to build the National Museum of Modern Art in Songhyeon-dong, Jongno-gu, central Seoul, near Gyeongbokgung.

Meanwhile, Minister Hwang Hee said, “The site has not been set yet” at a meeting held at the National Assembly on June 21. He added, “The ministry will make an announcement after having discussions with experts.”

By Park Jun-hee (junheee@heraldcorp.com)