Two Hours Reading the Nam June Paik Art Center Between Mirror Walls and a Video Archive

From the 2001 agreement to the opening on October 8, 2008, the beginning of the “House to Live in Forever”

Nam June Paik Art Center is an institution developed after Gyeonggi Province and Nam June Paik signed a memorandum of understanding in 2001. In 2002, it signed a contract to purchase 67 collection items, 2,285 video archive items, and memorabilia materials from Nam June Paik Studio and the Bloom Studio in New York. The artist’s signature, “Nam June Paik House to Live in Forever,” remained on the land plan for the construction site.

The center opened on October 8, 2008, and held the opening festival, Now Jump. Therefore, this place was designed not only as a venue for exhibiting works, but also as a base for researching Nam June Paik’s working materials and changes in media art. Nam June Paik pioneered the direction of media art with Exposition of Music—Electronic Television in 1963, in which he modified the internal circuitry of a television, and received the Golden Lion as the representative of the German Pavilion at the 1993 Venice Biennale.

• 2001: Gyeonggi Province and Nam June Paik sign memorandum of understanding
• 2002: Contract to purchase 67 collection items and 2,285 video archive items
• October 8, 2008: Nam June Paik Art Center opens

Mirrored architecture created by the 2003 international competition with more than 430 participants

The architecture is based on a joint design by German architects Kirsten Schemel and Marina Stankovic, selected in the 2003 international design competition. More than 430 people participated in the competition, and the winning proposal used multiple layers of mirrors as its central element.

Inside the building are not only exhibition rooms but also a video archive and multi-purpose spaces. Rather than simply glancing at the exterior and leaving, it helps to understand the intent of this architecture by observing how the surrounding landscape and visitors’ movements overlap on the mirrored surface, and how images, sound, and archival materials inside require different viewing tempos.

Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00, free admission and final entry at 17:00

Regular visiting hours are 10:00 to 18:00 from Tuesday to Sunday, and final entry to the exhibition halls is at 17:00. The center is closed every Monday except public holidays, as well as on January 1 and on Seollal and Chuseok day itself. If Monday is a public holiday or substitute holiday, it closes on the first weekday after that.

General admission is free, and individual visitors with fewer than 10 people may enter without a separate reservation. However, special exhibitions may charge admission depending on the show, so you should check the exhibition-specific information on the day of your visit. The main phone number is 031-201-8500, the visitor inquiry number is 031-201-8571~2, and the official website is https://njp.ggcf.kr.

• Visiting hours: Tue~Sun 10:00~18:00
• Final entry: 17:00
• Basic admission: Free
• Individual visits: No reservation needed for fewer than 10 people

Docent tours at 14:00 and 16:00 for Nam June Paik, and four sessions from 11:00 on weekends

Volunteer docent tours are held year-round twice a day on weekdays from Tuesday to Friday at 14:00 and 16:00, and four times a day on Saturday and Sunday at 11:00, 13:00, 14:00, and 16:00. Since individual visitors join on site, it is safer to arrive a little earlier than the scheduled time at the exhibition entrance if you want to hear the background of the works in Korean.

Video-based works may require a long time in front of each piece, so if you also listen to the docent, at least 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours is recommended. If you arrive at the final entry time of 17:00, there is only one hour until closing, so it is not suitable for a trip focused on slowly viewing video works and archives. Audio guides may be provided separately for each exhibition.

• Tue~Fri: 14:00, 16:00
• Sat~Sun: 11:00, 13:00, 14:00, 16:00
• Participation method: On-site participation for individual visitors

Take bus 38-1, 51, or 54 from Exit 2 of Sanggal Station and get off at Singal High School / Nam June Paik Art Center

For public transportation, the official guide recommends taking village buses 38-1, 51, or 54 from Exit 2 of Sanggal Station on the Bundang Line and getting off at the “Singal High School, Nam June Paik Art Center” stop. Bus intervals and walking routes may vary depending on the time of day, so it is a good idea to check the stop location and arrival information with a real-time transit app just before departure.

The road-name address is 10, Baeknamjun-ro, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do (Sanggal-dong), and the postal code is 17068. This is part of the Museum Park area, which includes the Gyeonggi Museum and the Gyeonggi Children’s Museum, so if you are visiting with children, you should separately check each institution’s reservation and operating policies.

• Subway: Bundang Line Sanggal Station
• Exit: Exit 2
• Connecting buses: Village buses 38-1, 51, 54
• Drop-off stop: Singal High School / Nam June Paik Art Center

170 parking spaces and KRW 1,000 for the first hour, free access after 19:00

The Nam June Paik Art Center parking lot has a capacity of 170 passenger vehicles. The regular parking operation hours are 09:00 to 19:00, and it is open for free after 19:00. During the summer season from July to August, it operates from 09:00 to 20:00 and then becomes free after 20:00. The parking lot is closed every Monday, but it operates if Monday is a public holiday.

For passenger vehicles using the facility, the first hour costs KRW 1,000, and each additional 10 minutes costs KRW 200, with a daily maximum of KRW 8,000. For mid- and large-sized vehicles of 16 seats or more, the first hour costs KRW 2,000, and each additional 10 minutes costs KRW 400. Exit within 30 minutes after entry is free, and those eligible for discounts such as persons with disabilities or persons of national merit may receive a 100% discount according to the verification procedure. The flat event parking fee for users of the Nam June Paik Art Center annex parking lot is KRW 2,000.

• Passenger car spaces: 170
• Passenger cars: KRW 1,000 for the first hour, then KRW 200 per 10 minutes
• Daily maximum: KRW 8,000
• Parking inquiry: 031-201-8585

Store bags larger than 40 x 30 cm first, and use the free wheelchair and stroller rental

Backpacks and bags larger than 40 x 30 cm are not allowed in the exhibition halls and must be stored in the baggage area. Personal, non-commercial photography is allowed, but flash, tripods, and selfie sticks may not be used, and video recording is prohibited. Food and drinks are not allowed inside the exhibition halls.

Wheelchairs and strollers can be rented free of charge, but advance contact is required before visiting. Strollers are for children 30 months old or younger and 15 kg or less, and you can inquire in advance by calling 031-201-8571~2 for visitor information. Pets are not allowed, but service dogs for persons with disabilities may accompany visitors. English-speaking visitors are also provided with an official English website, but it is better to confirm the language of on-site explanations and foreign-language materials for each exhibition before visiting.

• Large bag standard: Storage required if over 40 x 30 cm
• Wheelchair / stroller: Free rental, advance contact recommended
• Stroller eligibility: 30 months old or younger, 15 kg or less
• Video recording: Not allowed