Twenty individuals including BTS member RM, Leeum Museum of Art Honorary Director Hong Ra-hee and artist Suh Do-ho have been named as the most influential figures in the Korean art market.
The Paradise Cultural Foundation and the Seoul National University business research center announced the list in their “Korea Art Market 2025” (translated) report, released Sunday. This is the first time the report has identified key individuals driving the Korean art market. The selection was based on a survey of major figures in the domestic gallery industry, and the list is not ranked.
The report cited Hong, honorary director of Leeum and member of the Samsung family, as “a discerning collector who has shaped the Korean art landscape by acquiring major works both domestically and internationally.”
Among business figures, Amorepacific Group Chairman Suh Kyung-bae was also included. He is the founder of the Amorepacific Museum of Art and an avid art collector.
RM was the only figure selected from outside the fine arts sector. Known as a passionate art enthusiast, he is set to hold a special exhibition of his personal collection in October next year at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. It will mark the first collaboration between the museum and a K-pop artist, and the project was initiated by the museum.
“RM is a passionate art collector and cultural influencer,” the report said, “He frequently visits contemporary art exhibitions and museums at home and abroad, and shares his experiences on social media, boosting public interest in art.”
Four artists were selected: Lee Bae, Suh Do-ho, Haegue Yang and Kim A-young. Lee Bae, known for working with wood, fire, hanji (traditional Korean paper) and charcoal, has earned the nickname “the artist of charcoal.” He is also referred to as “the second Lee Ufan” for his growing influence in the Korean art market.
Suh Do-ho, whose installations explore memory and space, was recognized for his use of fabric and paper to examine themes of residence, identity and mobility.
Other names on the list included Kim In-hye, director of curatorial research at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art; Sook-Kyung Lee, director of the Whitworth Gallery at the University of Manchester in Britain; and Seo Jin-seok, director of the Busan Museum of Art.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
