A pro-Japanese collaborator's calligraphy was displayed as an independence activist's work
Ruling and opposition lawmakers lambasted the director at a national audit
'My personal mistake destroyed the trust built up over the years'
Yoo Hong-june, director of the National Museum of Korea, submitted his resignation Wednesday, taking responsibility for a controversy in which a piece of calligraphy from his personal collection was mistakenly displayed as the work of an independence movement activist. It was 15 months into his tenure. The decisive blow came from criticism that he had damaged the museum's credibility by presenting the work of a pro-Japanese collaborator as that of a patriot.
Yoo submitted his resignation Wednesday over the controversy surrounding a piece of calligraphy from his personal collection known as "Ilbansigogeun."
In a statement released that day, Yoo said, "The deep trust that the public has placed in the National Museum of Korea and the values that our staff have built up over the years have collapsed in an instant because of my personal mistake." He added, "I want to make clear again that all criticism over this matter rests entirely with me."
He continued: "I have concluded that stepping down as director is the right course of action in order to restore the museum's damaged reputation. I sincerely apologize to the members of the public who have been disappointed and hurt by this incident, to the families of independence patriots, and to the museum's staff."
The controversy stemmed from a piece of calligraphy displayed at a special exhibition that opened at the National Museum of Korea in July. The work, bearing the phrase meaning "even a bowl of rice is a grace bestowed by the nation," was a personal item Yoo had purchased at an online auction in 2019 for 50,000 won ($38). The auction had listed it as the work of "Park Deok-won, a member of the Joseon Tongsinsa delegation," but Yoo identified the signature "Han-in Park Won-geun" on the piece and concluded it was a work by independence activist Park Won-geun, submitting it for the exhibition.
About a month after the exhibition opened, a tip was received suggesting that the "Park Won-geun" in the signature could be another name for Park Jung-yang, a person designated as a pro-Japanese collaborator. The museum removed the piece on Aug. 10 and issued a formal apology on Aug. 12 for inadequate verification procedures. Then on Thursday, it emerged that the piece belonged to Yoo personally, triggering a fresh wave of criticism that he had concealed his ownership even during the earlier apology process.
Two days before his resignation, Yoo faced fierce criticism from ruling and opposition lawmakers at the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee national audit on Monday. When asked whether he had obtained a separate expert appraisal, he initially said, "I was confident because I myself specialize in the history of calligraphy," before correcting himself to say the assessment had been "a personal judgment based on my expertise in the history of calligraphy and painting."
At the audit, calls for his resignation were accompanied by pointed criticism of systemic failures. People Power Party lawmaker Kim Seok-ki said the incident — in which a pro-Japanese collaborator's work was recommended and displayed as that of a patriot before being removed — "left a stain on the 80-year history of the National Museum of Korea."
Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Choi Min-hee also pressed Yoo, arguing that he had worsened the situation by concealing his identity as the piece's owner during repeated rounds of apologies, and raised allegations that he had used his position to push the work into the exhibition.
On the day of the audit, Yoo had been guarded in his responses to questions about accountability, offering only general remarks about the need to overhaul the museum's systems. Unable to withstand the lawmakers' across-the-board pressure for his resignation and a deteriorating public mood, he stepped down just two days after the audit.
terry@heraldcorp.com
