As the only national art museum in the country accommodating both modern and contemporary art of Korea and international art of different time periods, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, was established in the small exhibition hall in Gyeongbokgung Palace in 1969 and moved to Seokjojeon in Deoksugung Palace in 1973. In 1986 the museum moved to Gwacheon with an international-sized facility and an outdoor sculpture park. The museum has been devoted to its function as a national art institution by collecting, conserving, exhibiting and researching artworks and materials, and improving art and cultural awareness through international exchanges, education and promotion of artistic activities.

In 1998, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Deoksugung, was established as an annex of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, with the objective of structuring the formation and history of Korean modern art. As an institution focusing on modern art, the museum promotes diverse projects such as research and study of modern art, collecting and conserving art works, permanent and temporary exhibitions, development and practice of educational programs, academic lectures, publications and exchanges of Korean modern art works and information. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea is dedicated to invigorating the new cultural space in downtown, in order to solve the relatively inconvenient accessibility of the museum building located outside of Seoul, in Gwacheon.

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, was converted into the government-affiliated independent organization on January 1st 2006, on the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Gwacheon government complex. Since then, the museum has implemented innovative management as an open museum for all and structured a system which focuses on customer satisfaction to improve its customer service quality. Through public-oriented and achievement-based projects, the museum has been striving to be a world-leading museum which promotes art and cultural values at both domestic and international level.

Opening Hours:
Gwacheon 
March - October 10am to 6pm (Sat., Sun., closes at 9pm);
November - February 10am to 5pm (Sat., Sun., closes at 8pm);

Deoksugung
Tue - Thur 10am to 7pm (Fri - Sun 10am - 9pm)
It's changeable depends on exhibition

Closed Mondays and New Year's Day

Courtesy of The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea