Han Ju-yeon, a pioneer museum educator in Korea and outgoing head of the Museum Education Research Association, argues that modern museum visits are rushed—visitors often spend only seconds per artwork—so museums should promote slower, deeper looking. After starting as a curator in the late 1990s and becoming an educator at the Samsung Foundation, Han developed docent programs, volunteer training, and public education initiatives nationwide. She helped found a research association to strengthen educators’ skills, rethink museum labels (explanatory texts), and shift docents from lecturers to companions who invite visitors to observe, ask questions, and reflect. Han champions “slow looking” programs—such as spending an hour with a single painting, community-oriented museum activities, and “Slow Art Day” events—that prioritize experience over speed and spectacle. As she retires from the Leeum Museum after 27 years, she hopes museums become rooted in their communities and cultivate future volunteers and audiences. (docent: trained volunteer guide)
