Gangneung Municipal Art Museum wins public art museum accreditation after two failed attempts

【Financial News, Gangneung = Kim Gi-seop, reporter】After failing twice in a row, Gangneung Municipal Art Museum has cleared the government’s public art museum accreditation hurdle on its third attempt.
Gangneung City said on the 4th that the museum received final accreditation in the 2026 evaluation conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The achievement follows its failures to secure accreditation in the 2020 and 2023 evaluations.
In particular, the museum scored 89.5 points in the areas of exhibitions and educational programs, well above the average of 81 points for 73 national and public art museums across the country. The evaluation was based on the museum’s operating performance over the three years from 2023 to 2025, and it scored above the required threshold in every category.
After failing to receive accreditation in its two previous evaluations, the museum reorganized its operations and enhanced the expertise of its curatorial staff. It also revamped its collection management system and built its planning capabilities by increasing special exhibitions that highlight the museum’s character and educational programs encouraging citizen participation.
The Public Art Museum Evaluation and Accreditation System is administered by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism every three years under the Museum and Art Gallery Promotion Act, with the aim of improving the quality and public value of public art museum operations. An expert panel evaluates public art museums nationwide through a series of document reviews, on-site inspections and comprehensive assessments to determine which institutions receive accreditation.
Gangneung Municipal Art Museum’s Solol also passed the 2026 preliminary feasibility assessment for the establishment of a public art museum in the first half of this year. The assessment was conducted by Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province after authority was transferred from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. With this accreditation as well, the museum has further strengthened its position as a regional cultural hub.
Sim Gyu-man, director of Gangneung Municipal Art Museum, said, “The experience of falling short at the accreditation hurdle twice actually gave us an opportunity to rebuild the fundamentals, from exhibitions and education to collection management.” He added, “Building on our exhibition and education capabilities, which surpassed the national average, we will make the museum a place where anyone visiting Gangneung can enjoy high-quality visual arts.”

[email protected] Kim Gi-seop Reporter