On March 9, the Academic Information Development Team announced a notice regarding the construction of the KAIST Art Museum, tentatively named “Chung Moon Soul Museum” after the chairman of Mirae Corporation who donated 3.2 billion KRW and 41 artwork pieces to KAIST. The construction began on March 14 and is expected to be completed in two years. However, the construction period can be shortened to one year depending on the additional construction budget. To ensure the safety of the KAIST community during construction, it was stated that parking and traffic in the area between the Academic Cultural Complex (E9) and the Creative Learning Building (E11) will be restricted, and a temporary fence has been installed around the construction area since the first day of the construction. 

The KAIST Art Museum will have three floors, on which a total of seven exhibition spaces will be created, covering a total floor area of 2,633 m². Additionally, it will be open to visitors unless unforeseen circumstances, such as COVID-19, arise. The KAIST Art Museum is envisioned as an open hub for creative activities across various genres, media, and artists, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange among KAIST community members.

President Kwang Hyung Lee brought up the initial proposal to establish an art museum on campus as one of his QAIST strategies. At the first anniversary of his inauguration, he remarked, “We are fostering policies that allow students to develop a variety of imaginations, including the scheduled opening of the KAIST Art Museum in September [2023].” He emphasized phrases such as “creative solutions” and “the pursuit of fruitful life” to imply the KAIST Art Museum is not just a place for tourism but rather a place of inspiration and motivation. In addition, he looked forward to making “beautiful changes beyond imagination” in KAIST under the C3 spirit of Challenge, Creativity, and Caring.

Students expressed mixed opinions on the news of the construction of the KAIST Art Museum. As the museum will be built right next to the Academic Cultural Complex (ACC), some students have shared complaints that noise would distract their studies while they are in the ACC and that the school should rather spend the construction budget for other areas of student welfare, such as improving the food quality of campus cafeterias. On the other hand, some students expressed satisfaction towards the construction, sharing that they would have access to more refreshing perspectives beyond hard, scientific facts while they are on campus.