museum chief-resignation

▲ Youn Bum-mo, director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) (Yonhap)

museum chief-resignation

MMCA director offers to resign: sources

SEOUL, April 13 (Yonhap) -- Youn Bum-mo, director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), has recently conveyed his intention to step down to the culture minister, sources in the art scene said Thursday.

The former art critic was first named to the post in February 2019. After his three-year term expired in February 2022, he was reappointed to another three-year term.

However, there have been controversies over the appointment of a figure of Minjung Art, an art movement expressing social and political issues of the working class in the 1980s. Some of the museum's exhibitions held during his first term in office came under criticism for being politically biased.

Most recently, the museum came under a special audit by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism from October to December over accusations of workplace bullying and unjust personnel decisions.

Announcing the audit results in January, the ministry pointed out that Youn neglected his duty by looking on while some department chiefs lorded over their subordinates.

The ministry, however, refused to confirm whether Youn has offered to resign or not.

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