The National Museum of Korea will provide support for an exhibition room dedicated to Korea at the Smithsonian's Freer Gallery.

The two museums signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Wednesday, marking the first time that the National Museum signed such a contract to support a foreign museum's Korean exhibit.

Accordingly, the National Museum will lend its relic collections and send over its curators.

Freer Gallery owns a collection of many Asian art objects, including some 500 ceramic wares and archeological items related to Korea.

The gallery will expand its Korean exhibit by 2011 with the support from the South Korean museum.

Meanwhile, the National Museum is planning to expand its support to many countries to promote Korean culture.