256,000 Korean Cultural Heritage Items Abroad... Foundation and Daegu Kansong Join Forces for Preservation and Restoration

Promoting Preservation Treatments and Joint Exhibitions of Korean Heritage Held Abroad

Daegu Kansong's Experience: Restoration of 30 Paper-Based Heritage Items in 22 Cases

Expanding Preservation Network, Following Partnerships with Samsung F

The Foundation for Cultural Heritage Abroad and Daegu Kansong Art Museum have joined forces to preserve and restore Korean cultural heritage scattered across the globe. As of January this year, more than 256,000 items of Korean cultural heritage have been identified overseas. The aim is to expand a network for not only repatriating such heritage to Korea, but also for preserving and utilizing items held abroad in a stable and effective manner on site.

Foundation for Overseas Cultural Heritage - Daegu Kansong Art Museum Business Agreement. (From left) Jeonghye Park, Chairperson of the Foundation for Overseas Cultural Heritage; Ingeon Jeon, Director of Daegu Kansong Art Museum. Foundation for Overseas Cultural Heritage

The Foundation for Cultural Heritage Abroad announced on September 29 that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at Daegu Kansong Art Museum in Suseong-gu, Daegu, to collaborate on the preservation, restoration, and utilization of Korean cultural heritage located outside of Korea.

Going forward, the two organizations will support preservation treatments for Korean cultural heritage held in overseas museums and galleries. They also plan to jointly release restored heritage items and related achievements through exhibitions and other events. Collaborative projects in the field of cultural heritage conservation and restoration will also be pursued.

The agreement will leverage paper-based cultural heritage repair and restoration techniques that Daegu Kansong Art Museum has accumulated. The museum, which opened in 2024, completed the repair and restoration of 30 items in 22 cases of paper-based cultural heritage owned by local institutions and individuals last year through the "Public Cultural Facilities Repair and Restoration Cooperation and Support Project" and a citizen participation contest.

Restoration targets from public institutions included 14 items in 14 cases from Daegu City, 11 items in 3 cases from Daegu Art Museum, and 1 item in 1 case from Yecheon Museum, totaling 26 items in 18 cases. Additionally, 4 items in 4 cases owned by citizens were included.

The restoration targets were diverse. For materials related to children's literature author Yoon Bokjin, owned by Daegu City, a special type of paper closely resembling the original was produced to restore damaged portions. For "Gunja Hwamhok" by Seo Donggyun, held by Daegu Art Museum, eight separate pieces were restored to their original form as an eight-panel folding screen. The "Gwon Munhae Yuseo" housed at Yecheon Museum, which had suffered severe damage from mold and pests, also underwent cleaning, restoration of damaged characters, and reinforcement of missing areas.

Since 2013, the Foundation for Cultural Heritage Abroad has supported the preservation, restoration, and utilization of Korean cultural heritage held overseas. Because it is difficult to solve preservation issues solely by bringing all heritage back to Korea, the Foundation assists in repairing heritage in collaboration with overseas institutions and helps facilitate local exhibitions and research using these items.

The model of "talent donation" from both private and public professional organizations is also expanding. In 2022, the Foundation signed an agreement with the Samsung Foundation of Culture and, with technical support from the Leeum Museum Conservation Research Laboratory, restored the "Pyongan Gam-sa Dogwagupjeja Hwanyongdo" held by the Peabody Essex Museum in the United States. This eight-panel screen, which had been separated into individual panels, underwent about 16 months of conservation treatment. During this process, the arrangement of the panels was corrected by analyzing the parade, buildings, and outfits depicted in the scene.

In August of last year, the Foundation signed an agreement with the Seoul Museum of History for joint surveys, analysis, conservation treatment, and exhibitions of preservation results for overseas cultural heritage. With Daegu Kansong Art Museum—renowned for its strength in the repair and restoration of paper and painting heritage—now participating, the scope of cooperation among domestic preservation institutions targeting heritage held abroad has expanded even further.

The number of items requiring preservation continues to grow. According to a survey by the National Heritage Administration and the Foundation for Cultural Heritage Abroad, as of January 1 this year, a total of 121,143 cases—amounting to 256,190 items—of Korean cultural heritage were identified in 29 countries and 801 institutions overseas. This is an increase of more than 100,000 items over 13 years, up from 152,915 items in 2013. The rise is attributable to greater disclosure of holdings by overseas museums and more extensive field surveys, leading to the identification of many new heritage items.

By country, Japan accounted for the largest share, with 110,611 items (43.2% of the total), followed by the United States with 68,961 items, Germany with 16,082, the United Kingdom with 15,417, and China with 14,226 items. Considering privately held artifacts whose information or acquisition details are not disclosed, the actual amount of Korean cultural heritage held overseas is estimated to be even higher.

As of January this year, 1,299 cases with 2,855 items have been returned to Korea through the Foundation for Cultural Heritage Abroad. This represents only a small fraction when compared to the volume of heritage that remains abroad. This is why Korean cultural heritage policy puts emphasis not only on repatriation, but equally on the preservation, research, and exhibition of objects remaining overseas.

Jeonghye Park, Chairperson of the Foundation for Cultural Heritage Abroad, said, "We will contribute to ensuring that our precious heritage held overseas can be fully preserved and that the excellence of Korean culture is widely promoted in the local context."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.