South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) will hold an open call for an operating institution and candidate sites for the planned "Korea Game Museum".

KOCCA said on Oct. 28 it will solicit applications nationwide for a museum operator and candidate sites through Jan. 18 next year.

The museum is expected to be built as a space that investigates, collects and preserves artefacts and materials related to the development of Korean games, and runs exhibitions, education and hands-on programs using them.

Non-profit corporations, local governments and institutions funded or contributed to by local governments with the capacity to manage public projects and to build and operate a game museum can participate in the call.

Applicant institutions can apply by directly owning a candidate site or by working with the rights holders of land and buildings. Joint implementation in which multiple institutions split roles will also be allowed.

Candidate sites must have a total floor area of at least 1,652 square metres and be able to accommodate museum functions such as exhibitions, education and archive storage. The space must be available for long-term use free of charge for at least 20 years.

KOCCA plans to form an evaluation committee of experts in museums, architecture and the game industry. It will conduct a first round of written and presentation reviews and a second round of on-site evaluations. If the top-scoring institution meets the agreement requirements, it will be confirmed as the final selection.

The selected institution will take part in tasks related to the museum's creation, including research for a basic plan and surveys of artefacts and materials. The ministry and KOCCA plan to later specify the museum's scale and operating system after the basic plan and consultations with relevant institutions.

KOCCA President Kim Yun-ji (김윤지) said, "We hope capable institutions and regions will participate so we can systematically record the history of games and share it with the public."

KOCCA plans to hold a project briefing on Nov. 12 for institutions that apply in advance by Nov. 9.