eMuseum National Museum Collections Portal of the Republic of Korea

Overview and History

eMuseum (emuseum.go.kr) is the official national museum collections portal of the Republic of Korea, operated under the National Museum of Korea. The portal aggregates and provides online access to collections from national museums across South Korea, enabling the public and researchers to search, browse, and view digitized cultural heritage objects without visiting the museums in person. The National Museum of Korea itself was established in 1945 following Korean liberation, and the online eMuseum portal extends the museum's mission of public education and cultural heritage preservation into the digital sphere.

Collections and Holdings

eMuseum provides access to collections from multiple national museums in Korea, encompassing archaeological artifacts, historical objects, artworks, and ethnographic items spanning from the Paleolithic Age through the modern era. The National Museum of Korea's collection alone includes more than 310,000 items, of which approximately 15,000 are on permanent display. Categories accessible through the portal include prehistoric and ancient history, medieval and early modern history, calligraphy and painting, sculpture and crafts, and Asian art. The portal facilitates research into Korean cultural heritage and provides scholarly metadata alongside digitized images.

Access and Usage

eMuseum is freely accessible online to the public and researchers worldwide. Users can search by period, material, type, or keyword, and can view high-resolution images of collection items. The portal supports both general public discovery and in-depth academic research.