Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung-ryul) Graduate School of Public Administration (Dean Ha Hyun-sang) and the National Association of Arts and Culture (President Eom Won-sik) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on May 26, 2025 (Monday) at Kookmin University to foster cultural arts administration experts through government-academia cooperation and promote K-cultural heritage.

In line with the recent revision of the National Heritage Basic Act and the reorganization of government agencies related to national heritage, various national and regional heritage promotion policies are being aggressively pursued by the government and local governments. In response to the increasing demand for field-oriented heritage management professionals and the cultivation of interdisciplinary curators with value-creation capabilities, the Graduate School of Public Administration has established the “Curatorial Studies Major in Cultural Arts Administration” in addition to its existing “Museum and Art Gallery Studies Major.”

The signing ceremony was attended by Hyun-Sang Ha, Dean of the Graduate School of Public Administration at Kookmin University; Yeun-Hee Kim, Chair of the Department of Museum and Art History and Chair of the Department of Cultural Arts Administration; Eom Won-sik, President of the National Curatorial Research Association, Hong Won-ui, Vice President, and Lee Kang-yeol, Secretary General, attended the ceremony to discuss practical mutual cooperation measures for the cultivation of interdisciplinary curatorial professionals for value-creating K-culture and arts and the institutional development of national heritage and cultural arts fields, followed by the signing of the agreement.

The National Association of Curators and Museum Professionals was established in December 2019 with over 1,000 members nationwide who share the common role of being public officials responsible for cultural properties, museums, art museums, and the promotion of culture and arts in local governments. The association plays a leading role in strengthening expertise in the care of national heritage and the promotion of culture and arts, as well as improving related systems.

Through this agreement, the two institutions aim to establish a close cooperative framework between the university and the institutions, and to collaborate in various areas such as education, mutual policy issues, and other necessary matters. At the signing ceremony, Dean Ha Hyun-sang of the Graduate School of Public Administration stated, “As Korea is now required to go beyond the Hallyu wave and establish a solid global position as a cultural powerhouse through continuous expansion, this agreement with the National Association of Cultural Heritage Researchers marks a meaningful first step toward cultivating field-oriented cultural arts administration professionals.”He also expressed his ambitious vision, stating, “The Graduate School of Public Administration at Kookmin University will take the lead in cultivating public cultural heritage and cultural arts curators with world-class value creation capabilities by collaborating with the National Association of Cultural Arts Research Institutes.”

The Graduate School of Public Administration at Kookmin University will recruit new students for the second semester of the 2025 academic year from May 17 to June 11, 2025. The selection process will consist of document review and interviews. In addition to the existing six majors, namely Public Administration, Policy Studies, Auditing, Local Self-Government, Museum Studies, and Social Welfare, the majors in Cultural Arts Administration and Health and Welfare will be newly established in September 2025. The university offers various scholarship programs and provides systematic and practical education with a faculty of distinguished professors who are well-versed in both theory and practice.

For more information on admission, please visit the website of the Graduate School of Public Administration at Kookmin University

(http://gspa.kookmin.ac.kr/gspa/index.do).