국립자연박물관 건립 추진의 현황과 문제 -국립자연박물관 건립 중단위기에 처해-

서지정보

ㆍ발행기관 : 한국박물관학회 ㆍ수록지정보 : 박물관학보
ㆍ저자명 : 이병훈

목차

Ⅰ. 서론
Ⅱ. 국립자연박물관설립 추진의 경위
Ⅲ. 결론: 국립자연박물관 추진상의 문제와 현황
참고문헌
부록 1) 국립자연사박물관 건립을 촉구하는 우리의 제안
2) 세계박물관협의회 자연박물관위원회의 한국정부에 대한 권고문

한국어 초록

자연박물관 2의 목적과 기능， 그리고 세계적 현황과 우리나라에서의 실태에 대해서는 과거 언론
과 학회지의 논문 그리고 여 러 가지 행사를 통해 누누이 강조된바 있어 재론의 여지가 없을 것이
다. 이에 관해 나는본학보 (01 , 2000) 를비롯해 저서 (01 ， 2000)와기타여러 매체를통해 논술하
였거니와 (이， 200 1. 2002 등) 자연학 관련 분야의 많은 인사들이 저술 (이 및 임， 2005) 이나 논
문집 속의 특집 〈자연사박물관의 설립과 운영〉에서 의견을 개진하고 (대전보건대학 빅L물관학연구
소 제 4집， 1999) 유사한 논의가 〈한국의 자연사박물관) (한국생물다양성협의회， 1998) 과 〈자연
사박물관과 고생물학)(한국고생물학회， 2002)과 같은 심포지엄 논문집에서도 이뤄진바 있다. 특
히 국립자연박물관에 관련해서는 그 건립 운동이 시작된 1990 년도부터 많은 인사들이 신문과 기
타 매체를 통해 국립자연박물관 건립을 촉구하는 글을 썼는데 그 수가 100 건이 넘는다 (자연사박
물관연구협회， 2003). 이 밖에도여러 차례 발표회가이뤄지면서 다각도로분석되고그필요성에
대한 논리가 전개되었다. 그리고 2000년까지 약 10년간의 경위에 대해서는 내가 여러 곳에서 기
술한바 있으므로 (0 1. 2000, 2002 등) 여기에서는 초기과정을 약술하고 그 이후 진행 경과에 대
해 쓰고 결론에서 문제점을 검토하고자 한다.

영어 초록

The rapid loss of natural history specirnens in biology. geology and humanity along with
an accelerated paæ of urbanization and industrialization in Korea would be deemed why
the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is most urgently needed in this
country. In order to improve the situation twenty six scientific societies and organizations
in the nation launched a national campaign in 1991 organizing the Korean Commission
for the Development of the National Museum of Natural History(KCDNMNH) . It urged
the government to set up one. holding a variety of events including national as well as
international symposia. special exhibition for lay public and interviews with daily
newspapers.

In June 1995 at length. the Ministry of Culture and Sport announced its decision of
developing the NMNH and a series of planning study was carried out in the following
three years covering subjects of basic planning of NMNH, land screening. specimen
collection. exhibition development. and museum operation. The project came to a sudden
halt. however. in 1998 with no budget at all. allegedly due to financial crisis of IMF.

The project. then. was put to the feasibility study early 2001 by the new government
and was subject to cost-effect analysis performed by the Korea Development
Institute(KDI). a government supported institute for national development. The outcome.
issued in July of the same year. turned out to be quite negative as it should not be a
business of good pay-off. The report. nevertheless. concluded that NMNH should be set up on a long-term project in national need and reinitiated with a new planning in
coordination with the concurrent projects of the Bio Resources Collection Center of the
Ministry of Environrnent and the National Science Museurn Expansion Programme of the
Ministry of Science and Technology, primarily to avoid any duplication of governrnental
investment. The idea of the combinational approach was not realized at all, however,
apparently due to the well known obstacles and difficulties conventionally seen from joint
projects between different ministries.

It was to make a breakthrough in this situation that the Korean Association for the
Study of Natural History Museurns (KASNHM, successor to KCDNMNH) presented a
petition in August in 2001 to President Kim Dae Jung to make a coordination among the
three different ministerial projects. A few meetings were held to that end by the
Presidential Commission on Policy Planning as well as by the Office of the President for
Education and Culture. They did not get through, however, coordinating the three
ministerial interests in making their projects of their own, allegedly due to different
objectives and functions of the respective projects. A new stance was taken by KASNHM
this time, making appeal to presidential candidates of the three parties in competition
near the end of 2002. One of the candidate, Mr. Rho Moo Hyun, made it public that he
would surely set up the National Museurn of Natural History if elected the 16th President
of the Republic. The result turned out quite rosy and full of hope because Mr.Rho was
finally won the presidential election and took power next year.

The scientists involved in KASNHM still kept making their efforts of persuading
governrnent officials to make any advanæ with the project. No progress has been made,
notwithstanding, so far sinæ no budget was made available for the project. KASNHM
held, this time, an intemational symposiurn and adopted a recommendation to the Korean
Govemment on the occasion of ICOM 2004 Seoul Conference held in October. The
recommendation was supported by 42 scientific and natural history related societies as
well as institutes and sent to govemment agencies including the
Presidential offie . The Ministry of Culture and Tourism still keeps announcing their
plan of developing the NMNH but only in paper for a couple of years ever after. When will it get budget? still remains the question. It is quite striking thatlocal projects of
exhibitional programme obtain budgets from the central government without difficulty.
owing to the efforts devotedly made by the National Assembly men from that local areas.
that is. for voters. The NMNH project is disregarded. by contrast. with nothing to do with
votes. that is. there exists no master interested in NMNH project.

In any case of either procuring budget or not. the development of the NMNH will be
actively pursued and promoted as it is not merely the national center of preserving and
studying natural heritage and its relation to humanity but also the symbol of national
identity and pride in this period of fast accelerating pace of land decay and globalization.

참고 자료

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