This article discusses the process of overcoming the cultural periphery and restoring the feeling of national dignity in the contemporary visual art of South Korea. The research subject is the visual art history of the Republic of Korea in the period of 1950s-2000s. Since the late 1950s to the present day, in different movements of the South Korean modern art, the intention has been constantly observed not only to raise their creative expression to the international level, but also to form the national identity. According to the author, the overcoming of the cultural periphery in the contemporary South Korean art has become possible due to the transformation of the concept of contemporaneity in a series of events in the recent history of the Republic of Korea. The author rests on the numerous scientific materials by South Korean art historians, who explore various trends in the contemporary art history of South Korea. As a result, the author was able to show the existence of a plan for the restoration of national identity in the South Korean art. The author’s special contribution in the study is a generic description and representation of the history of South Korean contemporary art, which is still poorly known in Russia. Results of the research can be used for further scientific development in the fields of Korean studies and art history.