Digital Resilience
AI and Cultural Democracy at the National Museum of Korea
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic served as a brutal stress test for museum resilience. While many institutions relied on a 'substitutive model' of mere digital replacement, the National Museum of Korea (NMK) achieved anomalous growth through a strategic pivot. This study employs an explanatory single-case study design to investigate the mechanisms behind this success. Applying pattern matching logic, the research validates the efficacy of a 'Transformative Model' grounded in Cultural Democracy. Findings reveal that the NMK's integration of AI-driven personalization, immersive Extended Reality (XR) experiences, and radical inclusivity reconfigured the visitor relationship from passive consumption to active co-creation. Crucially, empirical data confirms a positive correlation where high-level digital engagement functioned as a catalytic gateway that drove, rather than cannibalized, physical attendance. This case illustrates how sustainable resilience can be achieved when technology is strategically deployed to democratize heritage access and empower the visitor as an active participant.
Keywords:
digital resilience transformative model, cultural democracy, digital heritage engagement, museum digital ecosystemCitation data from Crossref
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