Museum HanMi

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South Korea's first photography museum, which opened in 2003, celebrated its 20th anniversary last December by relocating to Samcheong-dong and reopening as Museum Hanmi. Like a beautiful photograph enhanced by negative space, Museum Hanmi utilizes high ceilings and pure white spaces to allow visitors to focus entirely on the exhibited photographic works. The facility spans from the basement level to the second floor, including exhibition rooms, a multi-hall, a cafe, an art shop, and a lounge on the second floor for listening to LP records donated by photographers. Beyond the lounge lies a rooftop garden overlooking the 'Water Garden' courtyard. The museum is designed to let visitors naturally circulate around the Water Garden, allowing for a seamless exploration of the space. Most notably, Museum Hanmi features a state-of-the-art storage facility capable of preserving over 20,000 collected artworks for extended periods, borrowing storage technologies from its parent pharmaceutical company, Hanmi. The current opening exhibition, 'Korean Photography: Inside Out, 1929–1982,' showcases the history of 20th-century modern Korean history and photography through the works of leading Korean photographers. The exhibition runs until April 16.