This paper examines the professional qualifications of the directors of important public art museums in Korea in comparison to museums outside Korea through analysis of the directors' primary qualifications, including academic background, major, career experience, and study abroad experience, as well as secondary qualifications, including length of tenure, age, gender, and alma mater, which can indirectly the hiring process for directors. The museums examined in this study are separated into three geographical categories - 1. Seoul, 2. the Seoul Metropolitan Area, and 3. locations in Korea outside the Seoul Metropolitan Area - to analyze how the influence of primary and secondary qualifications differs across geographies. Additionally, this study looks at how the professional qualifications of directors in Korea compare to the qualifications of directors outside Korea to identify the idiosyncrasies of the Korean system. It finds that directors in Korea, in general, have a shorter length of tenure, are older, are more likely to be female, and are less likely to be foreign than the directors of overseas museums. Experience-wise, directors in Korea often have experience working as art experts, artists, and art professors, but their backgrounds differ depending on the region in which they are working. Although directors in Korea have, across the board, studied abroad and graduated from prestigious universities, there are noticeable differences across the three geographical locations looked at. Notably, in Korea, the proportion of directors who majored in practical skills is high, while in the case of directors overseas, the proportion of those who majored in art history is high. In addition, while a high percentage of directors are graduates of Hongik University regardless of their museum's location, graduates of Seoul University are mainly concentrated in the Seoul and Seoul Metropolitan Areas. Museums outside the Seoul Metropolitan Area, on the other hand, often hire directors who have graduated from a nearby university. These differences mark a contrast between Korean museums and museums overseas, which generally hire directors who have graduated from prestigious universities, regardless of geographical location.