CreatripTeam

The director of the National Museum of Korea, Yoo Hong-jun, told a parliamentary audit that the museum is reviewing when and how to reintroduce admission fees, raising the prospect that the 2008 policy of free entry to national museums and art galleries could be reversed. Since free admission began in May 2008, visitor numbers have surged (the National Museum passed 5 million visits this year), but government funding remains tight and staffing and acquisition budgets are inadequate. Lawmakers criticized the museum’s capacity to handle growing crowds and noted low spending on acquisitions and insufficient curatorial and support staff. The director said budget increases from the government are unlikely in the short term, so the museum may need to charge fees to secure funds while trying to keep visitor levels from falling. Related hikes in cultural and tourism charges are possible, including discussions about raising the departure tax and revisiting palace (gogung) admission fees. The debate recalls earlier tensions between free national institutions and fee-charging private museums, and museum parking fees were recently raised to boost revenue.