MOU signed to pursue collection loans, personnel exchanges and more

The National Museum of Korea and Italy's Uffizi Gallery signed a memorandum of understanding to expand cultural exchange at the Uffizi Gallery in Italy on Saturday (local time). From left: National Museum of Korea Director Yoo Hong-june, President Lee Jae Myung and Uffizi Gallery Director Simone Verde pose for a photo. [Cheong Wa Dae]
The National Museum of Korea and Italy's Uffizi Gallery signed a memorandum of understanding to expand cultural exchange at the Uffizi Gallery in Italy on Saturday (local time). From left: National Museum of Korea Director Yoo Hong-june, President Lee Jae Myung and Uffizi Gallery Director Simone Verde pose for a photo. [Cheong Wa Dae]

The National Museum of Korea and Italy's Uffizi Gallery are joining forces to expand cultural exchange.

The National Museum of Korea signed a memorandum of understanding with the Uffizi Gallery at the Florence museum on Saturday (local time). The agreement aims to build a foundation for cooperation between the two countries' leading cultural institutions and to promote the international reach of their respective cultural heritage.

The two institutions plan to expand personnel exchanges drawing on their museum service expertise, and will cooperate across a range of areas including exhibition exchange, interpretation and education, collection management, restoration and publishing.

The partnership is expected to further deepen ties between South Korea and Italy, which were elevated to a "special strategic partnership" during President Lee Jae Myung's state visit to Italy.

The Uffizi Gallery is widely regarded as a showcase of Renaissance art at its finest, housing the vast Medici family collection — including Giotto's "Ognissanti Madonna," Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus" and Leonardo da Vinci's "Annunciation."

National Museum of Korea Director Yoo Hong-june and Uffizi Gallery Director Simone Verde met on Friday ahead of the signing to discuss future areas of cooperation. Yoo proposed that the two institutions work toward bringing Uffizi masterpieces to Korean audiences. "Our museum has held special exhibitions every year introducing collections from world-renowned institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the National Gallery in London," he said. "We hope to introduce Uffizi masterpieces, including works by Botticelli, to audiences in Korea." Verde welcomed the idea, saying he was well aware of Korean culture's growing global influence. "I would very much like to introduce the Uffizi's collection to audiences in Korea," he said.

President Lee also attended the signing ceremony during his visit to the Uffizi Gallery. Afterward, he shared his impressions on X (formerly Twitter), writing: "I am confronted by the power of great culture. Was it not the power of culture — which has captivated all of humanity — that gave Florence its enduring strength?"

He added: "Each painting has traveled across hundreds of years to meet us today. I hope that the friendship and cooperation South Korea and Italy will build together will endure as a precious legacy — one that inspires future generations."


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