Our Vision
“By illuminating the artistic value of stone sculptures that embody spirit of our people and the joys and sorrows of everyday life, the museum seeks to rediscover the beauty of Korea.”
Ancient Korean stone sculptures embody timeless values of life and the aspirations of a people, transcending both time and space. Drawn to the natural beauty of these works, we have spent over 40 years collecting Korean stone artifacts scattered across Korean and around the world. Originally opened in 2000 in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province as Korea's first museum dedicated exclusively to stone artifacts under the name Sejoong Museum of Stone Art, the museum reopened in 2015 as Korean Stone Art Museum on a hillside in Seongbuk-dong, nestled between Mt. Bugaksan and the Seoul city wall. Today, the museum presents a diverse collection ranging from stone artifacts and embroidery to modern and contemporary artworks. Within a site spanning approximately 18,000 square meters and a total building area of 3,300 square meters, the museum houses and exhibits 1,250 stone artifacts, over 280 embroidery works, and more than 100 modern and contemporary paintings.
The Korean Stone Art Museum is the world's only museum dedicated exclusively to Korean stone artifacts, established to bring together Korean stone sculptures that had long been scattered both within Korea and abroad. The museum presents a wide range of stone works, beginning with the Gallery of Cultural Heritage Returned from Japan, and including muninseok, General statues, dongjaseok, beoksu, stone pagodas and Buddhist sculptures. In addition to stone artifacts, the museum also exhibits traditional embroidery considered the culmination of gyubang culture as well as paintings by leading Korean modern contemporary artists. Through this diverse collection, the Korean Stone Art Museum offers visitors rich visual experience and stands as a space where tradition and modernity coexist.
The Korean Stone Art Museum is a museum dedicated to the wishes for subokgangnyeong-a traditional Korean concept expressing prayers for longevity, well-being and good fortune. Moving beyond the conventional view of ancient stone sculptures as mere architectural ornaments of temples or funerary objects, the museum focuses on reexamining the philosophies of life and wisdom of past generations embedded within these works, through the perspective of the present. By sharing the longstanding stories of stone and people rooted in this land, the museum invites visitors to reflect on timeless values of life and to sense the earnest hopes of our predecessors for subokgangnyeong, transcending time and space. Furthermore, the museum strives to serve as a platform for academic exchange and research for those interested in Korean culture, continuously evolving into an open museum that enriches the cultural landscape of the future.
Going forward, the Korean Stone Art Museum will continue to make every effort to repatriate Korean cultural heritage scattered overseas. Through in-depth academic research and investigation of Korean stone artifacts, the museum seeks to shed light on the cultural and artistic value of traditional stone sculptures that have long remained overlooked. In addition, the museum will provide exhibition opportunities for emerging artists, offering visitors a diverse and enriching range of experiences. We invite you to spend a moment of rest and healing at the Korean Stone Art Museum, where the landscape transforms beautifully with each of the four seasons. Set amid nature and centuries of stone, the Korean Stone Art Museum invites visitors to experience the enduring beauty of Korean heritage.
