Korea plans national games museum

Korea is moving to establish a national games museum to recognize video games as cultural heritage, the Korea Creative Content Agency said Wednesday.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and KOCCA are jointly pursuing the tentatively named Museum of Korean Games, which will systematically document and preserve the history and cultural value of games.

The museum will serve as a space to research, collect, and preserve artifacts and materials tracing the development of Korean games. It will also offer visitors exhibitions, educational activities and interactive programs to experience the cultural significance of games.

"Games are the memories of multiple generations and part of our culture," said KOCCA President Kim Yoon-ji, stressing the need to build an institution that could systemically archive the history of games in Korea and share it.

The government has started receiving applications from municipalities and nonprofit organizations that wish to and are capable of operating the envisioned museum, alongside proposals for suitable sites, including land and a building larger than 1,652 square meters.