Kansong Art Museum

At the end of a lane in Seongbuk-dong, a white two-storey building shows through the trees. This is where the Kansong Art Museum began, the first private museum in Korea. At a time when Korean heritage was being shipped abroad under Japanese colonial rule, one collector spent his fortune to keep paintings, books and ceramics in the country, and they ended up here.

History: from Bohwagak to the Kansong Art Museum

The museum was founded by Jeon Hyeong-pil, whose art name was Kansong. The building was designed by Park Gil-ryong, regarded as Korea's first modern architect, and completed in 1938 under the name Bohwagak. In its early years it focused quietly on protecting and studying the collection, away from the eyes of the colonial authorities.

After Kansong's sudden death in 1962 activity stopped for a while, but in 1966 his sons and friends set up the Korean National Art Research Institute and resumed cataloguing and research. Starting with an exhibition of the painter Jeong Seon in autumn 1971, free spring and autumn shows followed, and by the late 2000s people queued for hours at weekends to get in. By 2018 the museum had held 92 Kansong exhibitions. A sister museum, the Daegu Kansong Art Museum, now operates in Daegu.

The stories behind the collection

• One celadon for twenty houses: Kansong is said to have bought the Goryeo celadon maebyeong vase with inlaid cranes and clouds, now a National Treasure, from a Japanese collector for 20,000 won, the price of twenty tiled houses at the time.
• The Hunminjeongeum Haerye: in 1940, when the colonial government was trying to suppress the Korean language, he found and bought the Hunminjeongeum Haerye, the book that explains the principles of the Korean alphabet. It is now a National Treasure.
• Saved in wartime: during the Korean War he is said to have fled with the most important pieces.

The collection covers paintings and calligraphy, rare books, Goryeo celadon, Joseon porcelain, Buddhist statues, stone pagodas and stupas.

What to see

• The Bohwagak building: 1930s modern architecture with white walls and rounded corners, an exhibit in its own right.
• Stone pieces in the garden: three- and five-storey stone pagodas, stupas and a stone Buddha stand among the trees around the building, including a five-storey pagoda brought from Mungyeong.
• Changing exhibitions: there is no permanent display; the collection is shown in themed exhibitions. From 7 October to 6 December 2026, a special exhibition marking the 120th anniversary of Kansong's birth reads the collection through the inscriptions on the paulownia boxes that held the works, with pieces by Kim Si, Im Hui-ji, Jang Seung-eop and Kim Jeong-hui.

Nearby

• Gilsangsa: a city temple within walking distance, a natural next stop on a Seongbuk-dong walk.
• Sukjeongmun and the Seoul City Wall: the north gate of the old city wall lies on the slopes of Bugaksan behind Seongbuk-dong.
• Changgyeonggung Palace: head down towards Daehangno and you reach this Joseon palace.

Tripto tips

• When it is open: the museum opens only during exhibitions or programmes and is closed the rest of the time. Check dates, admission and booking on the official website before you go.
• Getting there: from Hansung University Station (Line 4), Exit 6, it is about a 20-minute walk. Alternatively, take branch bus 1111 or 2112, or village bus Seongbuk 03, from the Samseongyo stop to Seongbuk Elementary School.
• Parking: space is very limited, so use public transport.
• Etiquette: no flash, tripods, selfie sticks or commercial photography; avoid bringing food, and no pets except guide dogs.
• Time needed: around an hour for the exhibition and garden.