26 years after its last win, Samsung garners top honor for arts patronage
Samsung Foundation of Culture has been awarded the Grand Prize at the 2025 Mecenat Awards, hosted by the Korea Mecenat Association, marking the foundation’s second win in the awards' 26-year history.
The Samsung Foundation of Culture, founded in 1965, was recognized for its contribution to broadening Korea’s cultural landscape and enhancing the global presence of Korean arts.
In addition to operating the Leeum Museum of Art and the Hoam Museum of Art, the foundation has been supporting Korean artists’ creative growth abroad for 28 years through the Cite Residency Program, which enables artists to live and work in Paris.
The foundation also supports diverse arts fields through schemes including its classical instrument loan program, Samsung Music Fellowship, the piano tone meister training initiative and support for the World Pansori Association.
The Samsung Foundation of Culture received the same prize at the inaugural Mecenat Awards in 1999.
The Culture Contribution Award went to Chong Kun Dang Holdings for more than a decade of support for painters and opera outreach programs.
The Mecenat Leader Award went to Kim Young-ho, chairman and CEO of Ilshin Spinning, who has supported numerous arts organizations and festivals including Seoul Spring Festival of Chamber Music, Music in PyeongChang and the Tongyeong International Music Festival.
The Creativity Award goes to the MetLife Korea Foundation, while the Arts & Business Award is awarded to the National Credit Union Federation of Korea and the Traditional Korean Music Arts Center for nurturing future gugak talent.
The awards ceremony is set to take place Thursday at the Westin Josun Seoul, as part of the 2025 Korea Mecenat Conference — a gathering held to promote corporate arts partnerships and raise public interest in sponsorship of the arts.
gypark@heraldcorp.com
