(16 Aug 2020) The National Museum of Korea and the National Library of Korea shut their doors after staff members from both facilities were diagnosed with the coronavirus. The national library was the first to close of the state-run culture facilities on Friday (15 Aug), when a staff member was diagnosed with Covid-19 earlier…
(2 Aug 2020) South Korea saw the addition of 38 new public libraries nationwide last year thanks to the government’s efforts to enhance access to libraries in recent years. According to a recent statistical survey by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and its affiliated Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, the number of public…
(22 Jul 2020) Many public libraries, museums and art galleries in South Korea reopened their doors to the public on Wednesday amid signs of a slowdown in COVID-19 infections. The National Museum of Korea (NMK), the National Library of Korea and other cultural venues under the central government began accepting visitors, albeit with safety measures…
(8 May 2020) Korea’s southeastern port city of Ulsan said Thursday it will carry out a project to pay back the price of books purchased by citizens to promote reading. Citizens who buy a book, read it and then donate it to the Ulsan Metropolitan Library within four weeks will get their money back. Each citizen…
(23 Mar 2020) The National Library of Korea started providing its enhanced online service Digital Collection on Monday. “Digital Collection provides selected content curated by experts from different fields who also wrote commentaries. We hope that this cultural content can help people who are having a difficult time due to the delay of the new…
(6 Mar 2020) The Simin Municipal Library and the Busan Metropolitan Joongang Library in the southern port city of Busan said Friday that they will start the operation of drive-thru book rental and return service next week. People can make reservations for the books they wish to borrow using websites. When visitors drive cars along…
(5 Mar 2020) From Korea: Due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, the number of people visiting the National Digital Library (NDL) – which operates under the auspices of the National Library of Korea (NLK) – has jumped by 176 percent. Korea Bizwire has more details here.
(24 Dec 2019) A “book drive-thru system” will be introduced in Incheon for the first time, allowing members to borrow or return books without having to leave the comfort of their car. The system, installed at Incheon Metropolitan City’s Michuhol Library, allows users to check out or return books while in a vehicle for those…
(12 Dec 2019) Seoul city on Thursday announced plans to open a new library and concert hall in areas of the capital that were previously considered underdeveloped and lacked cultural facilities. Under the plan, the city will pump in 387.8 billion won (US$325.6 million) to build a library in Dongdaemun ward in eastern Seoul and a…
(13 Aug 2019) The government of Seoul said Tuesday it will build five more municipal libraries across the city by 2025 to help reduce cultural infrastructure gaps among citizens. The five new libraries, each with a gross floor area of about 9,000 square meters, will be built in Naebalsan-dong of Gangseo Ward, Sillim-dong of Gwanak Ward,…