Barely a week into 2023, Youn Bum-mo, the director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), South Korea’s premier public art institution, found himself in hot water after a special audit conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism found numerous instances of “illegal and inappropriate actions” in the museum’s management. The revelations came as a surprise to most members of the Korean art world who broadly considered Youn an effective, if somewhat uninspiring, museum leader. Following the presidential victory of conservative candidate Yoon Suk Yeol in 2022, however, Youn was increasingly perceived as a holdover from the previous liberal administration of Moon Jae-in, and it would only be a matter of time before he was ousted. He stepped down from his post at the MMCA in April 2023 to conclude what would eventually be seen as a politically motivated coup.

By September, Youn’s replacement was announced—Kim Sung-hee, cofounder and executive director of the nonprofit art center CAN Foundation—at the same time as incoming culture minister Yu In-chon. The latter, who returns to the position following his previous tenure from 2008 to 2011, has advocated revamping the support systems for artists and eliminating redundancies in existing arts organizations and institutions. Beginning in 2024, the federal funding model will shift from one that disburses small amounts of funding to a wide range of individuals to a more streamlined model that focuses on supporting a smaller number of artists with exceptional potential for success on an international scale.