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MMCA to expand access for foreign visitors with more 'Guided Tours,' 'Gatherings'

Published: 30 Mar. 2026, 15:01

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

Visitors to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art listen to a guided tour in this photo provided by the museum [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART]

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) will expand English-language programs for foreign visitors as global interest in Korean art continues to rise, the museum said Monday.

The MMCA will scale up two initiatives, the “MMCA Guided Tour” and “MMCA Gatherings,” to make Korean contemporary art more accessible to non-Korean audiences.

The guided tour program, which has been running regularly since June last year, offers English-language explanations of the museum’s permanent exhibition “MMCA Collection: Korean Contemporary Art.”

The tours are open without reservation and run twice daily at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The museum held 163 sessions last year and plans to increase that to 250 this year as demand grows.

Starting this year, the program will also expand to cover additional exhibitions, including “This Is (Not) Conceptual Art” in June and a solo exhibition by Do Ho Suh in September.

“MMCA Gatherings,” a separate program, targets foreign residents and international students seeking a more in-depth experience.

Visitors to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art listen to a guided tour in this photo provided by the museum [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART]

Held weekly on Wednesday evenings, the sessions focus on a single artwork and encourage discussion of its artistic, historical and social context, incorporating participants’ cultural perspectives. The program will resume on April 15, running from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

April sessions will center on works from “Sak-da: The Poetics of Decomposition,” with the program expanding in May to include “MMCA Collection: Korean Contemporary Art.”

A special session on April 1 will feature broadcaster Mark Tetto, who serves as a 2026 ambassador for the museum’s foreign supporters program.

Visitors to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) take part in an ″MCCA Gatherings″ program in this photo provided by the museum [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART]

Tetto will lead a discussion on Park Seo-bo’s “Ecriture No. 43-78-79-81” (1981), drawing on his personal experience with the artist to explore Korean aesthetics and the dansaekhwa (monochrome painting) movement.

Participation in the gathering programs requires advance registration through the museum’s website.

“We anticipate that these programs will provide a significant opportunity for international visitors to appreciate not only Korean contemporary art but also Korean culture,” MMCA Director Kim Sung-hee said. “The MMCA will continually endeavor to expand its efforts to become a cultural institution that engages with visitors from every corner of the globe.”

BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]