In recent, the need for providing various services is being requested to museums as the
characteristic of museum has been gradually changing from producect:museum) centeredness to
consumer (user) centeredness. Increasing the budget is inevitable in order to meet such need, but
museums are faced with the reality of their lirnitation as non-profit organization and the trend of
reduction in the national support. By getting away from the stereotype that museum cannot create
profits (conduct business) because it is non-profit organization, the large-scale museums in the
West activeψ established their own museum corporations(companies) as one of the measures to
ensure their budget upon establis피ng theories on the philosophy and profit of museum business
in the l%Os to 1970s. They are now contributing significandy in the revitalization of museum, and
museum corporation has now fmnly established itself as an 값is of museum.
In the case of our country, the Cultural Foundation of National Museum of Korea, the first
museum corporation in Asia, was established late but fortunately nevertheless in 2005, which was
30-40 years later than in the case of the West. 1잉 operation for five years as a general corporation
revealed that it was not possible to achieve its goals, and ensuring its status as a special
corporation became essential. In such case, there is a hope that remarkable growth can be
expected for museum business, which is a business that converged the manufacturing business
and seπice π1e proceeds of special corporation must be reinvested or used for the advancement
of the corporation, thereby being realized not as the profits of the corporation but as the public
interest of society
In this study, the term ‘museum corporatJ.on’ was created, used and defmed for the department
of museum in charge of education and fmance. In addition, this study examines the reason and
process for the Cultural Foundation of National Museum of Korea to be changed in its status from
a general corporation and a special corporation through which it is hoped that this study will
provide assistance not only to the interested organizations or groups but also to individuals.