The National Central Museum of South Korea once had a ridiculous misunderstanding: a calligraphy work that was displayed as the handwriting of an anti-Japanese patriot turned out to be the work of a pro-Japanese person. Now, there is new development in this matter—the controversial exhibit was actually a private collection of the museum’s director, Yu Hongjun.
According to a report by the Korean newspaper 'Han Enek Chosun Ilbo' on October 15th, Yeom Ran-xu, a member of the National Power Party and the largest opposition party in South Korea, recently questioned the National Central Museum about the ownership of a controversial exhibit. In a written response, the museum acknowledged that the work was recommended for loan by the museum director, Yu Hong-jun, and that the owner was indeed Yu Hong-jun himself.
The museum explained that Yu Hongjun originally purchased this calligraphy piece, intending to donate it to the Fuyu Cultural Institute. Following relevant procedures, the museum borrowed the work and, based on information provided by the director of the museum, determined that the work was created by a resistance activist.
This explanation immediately sparked doubts. Zheng Ranxu criticized that the curator personally recommended his collection, and the museum used this as the basis for appraisal, ultimately allowing the work to be displayed in the national museum’s exhibition hall. He believed that the problem couldn’t be simply attributed to insufficient capabilities of the staff. He demanded that Yu Hongjun make public the process of purchasing and lending the work, and take corresponding responsibility for it.
This dispute began in July this year.
The National Central Museum of Korea displayed a calligraphic work titled "A Bowl of Rice Is a Gift from the Nation" during its special exhibition "Our Dining Table," which opened on July 1st. The museum described this work as an inscription by Park Won-geun (1912–1950), a Korean anti-Japanese patriot.
This phrase is said to have originated from Master Yeonggeuk, a Korean monk soldier who fought against Japanese aggression in the 16th century. Due to its blend of culinary culture and patriotism, the museum has included this piece in its exhibition.
According to a previous report by Yonhap, a descendant of Park Won-geun went to visit the exhibition of his ancestor's works at the National Museum. He even knelt in tears in front of the exhibits.
However, more than a month after the exhibition opened, someone reported to the museum that the signature "Park Won-geun" might not belong to that anti-japanese hero, but to another person with the same name—Park Chong-gwang (1874–1959), a pro-Japanese figure during the Korean colonial period.
The museum then removed the exhibits and invited seven experts in the fields of calligraphy, modern history, ancient documents, and cultural heritage protection to re-evaluate them.
On September 7th, the National Central Museum of South Korea announced its investigation results, confirming that this calligraphy was not written by the anti-war activist Park Won-geun. Instead, it was a work created by Park Chang-ung during his studies in Japan, using the name 'Park Won-geun'.
The investigation found that the handwriting of the work shares similar characteristics with other calligraphic works by Park Chongyang, and the seals used are consistent with historical records. The signature at the end of the work, “Han Korean Park Won-geun”, also corresponds to Park Chongyang’s identity during his study in Japan.
Park Chongyang was a senior official during the Japanese colonial rule. He was considered by South Korea to be an "pro-Japanese and anti-national actuary." A calligraphy work, originally intended to showcase patriotism, was ultimately proven to have been created by such a historical figure, drawing attention from South Korean public opinion.
On September 10th, Yu Hongjun publicly apologized for the mistake. He admitted that the museum failed to accurately understand the historical context of the exhibits, which was due to insufficient professional skills. He also stated that he would strengthen the review process.
But at that time, the museum did not publicly disclose that this work actually belonged to the director himself.
Currently, with the exposure of ownership rights to the artifacts, the focus of the controversy has shifted from simple misidentification of historical figures to issues related to the selection and review process of exhibits by the national museum. The museum acknowledges that although the works have undergone internal reviews, there is a lack of thorough cross-disciplinary expert verification in areas such as handwriting and the length of the artists' careers. In the future, the museum will improve its pre-exhibition review system.
It is noteworthy that this incident occurred at a time when South Korean society was re-examining how to deal with the historical legacies left by Japanese collaborators during the colonial period. The Lee Jae-myung government's recent efforts to reinstate investigations into the properties of Japanese collaborators have brought these historical issues back into focus.
Unlike property recovery processes that involve rights and legal procedures, the incident at the museum reveals flaws in the identification of historical figures and the review procedures of public cultural institutions. For the National Central Museum of Korea, questions remain regarding how to explain the process by which the director’s private collections entered the exhibition hall, and why such a critical identity error was not discovered before the exhibition.
