Yoo Hongjun Resigns in Disgrace After 15 Months as Museum Nears 7 Million Visitors Over 'Self-Submitted' Work

Art historian who brought cultural heritage to the public through “My Cultural Heritage Exploration”
Calligraphy by a pro-Japanese collaborator exhibited as a patriot’s work... Controversy over inadequate verification and conflicts of interest
Resigns two days after parliamentary audit; second early departure following the 2008 Sungnyemun fire
National Museum of Korea drew 6.5 million visitors last year, ranking third worldwide... Restoring trust in its exhibitions remains a challenge

In July, Park Yong-hyun, the son of independence activist Park Won-geun, visited the National Museum of Korea’s special exhibition “Our Dining Table.” He knelt and wept in front of a work presented as his father’s calligraphy. He was moved that the national museum had uncovered a trace of an independence activist whose belongings had not even survived. But the calligraphy was not his father’s. It was a work left by Park Jung-yang, a pro-Japanese collaborator. It also emerged that the person who had directly recommended the work was Yoo Hongjun, the museum’s director and its owner.

Yoo Hongjun, director of the National Museum of Korea, listens to a committee member's questions during a parliamentary audit by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee at the National Assembly on the 19th. Yonhap News Agency.

Yoo Hongjun, an art historian who helped bring Korean cultural heritage to a wider audience through “My Cultural Heritage Exploration,” has ultimately announced his resignation as director of the National Museum of Korea. He is stepping down 15 months after taking office in July last year. The museum, on the verge of surpassing 7 million visitors, has suffered a blow to its academic credibility amid controversy over the exhibition of its director’s personal collection and inadequate verification procedures.

In a statement released through the National Museum of Korea on the 21st, Yoo said, “The deep trust that the public has placed in the National Museum of Korea and the values that our museum staff have built up over the years have collapsed in an instant because of my personal mistake.”

He continued, “I take full responsibility for all the criticism that has been raised,” adding, “I have concluded that the right thing to do to restore the museum’s tarnished reputation is to step down as director.” He decided on his future just two days after lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties sharply criticized him at the National Assembly’s audit of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee on the 19th, where he promised to improve the verification system.

The controversy began with “Ilban Siguk-eun (一飯是國恩),” a work included in the special exhibition “Our Dining Table,” which opened on July 1. Meaning “Even a bowl of rice is a blessing from the country,” the work was identified by the museum as the calligraphy of Park Won-geun (1912–1950), a patriot from Boeun, North Chungcheong Province, based on the name “Park Won-geun” written on it.

However, in August, questions were raised about the work’s authorship after it became known that Park Jung-yang (1874–1959), a pro-Japanese collaborator, had used the name Park Won-geun while studying in Japan. The museum removed the work on August 10 and commissioned seven experts in calligraphy, modern and contemporary history, historical documents, and conservation science to verify it. On September 7, it officially announced its conclusion that the calligraphy was by Park Jung-yang.

Yoo Hongjun, director of the National Museum of Korea, explains the controversial work "Ilbansigukeun" at the "Taste vs. Taste" special lecture held in conjunction with the special exhibition "Our Table." Yonhap News

The fact that Park Jung-yang had used the name Park Won-geun was also documented in the government’s 2009 “Report on the Investigation of Pro-Japanese and Anti-National Acts.” This prompted criticism that the national museum had proceeded with the exhibition without adequately comparing the work’s handwriting with previously published historical records and other materials.

At first, the case was regarded as an academic error in identifying the work’s author. The situation changed when documents submitted to the National Assembly on the 15th confirmed that Yoo owned the work.

Yoo won the calligraphy at an online auction in 2019 for 50,000 won. At the time, the auction listing identified it as a work by “Park Deok-won,” who had taken part in a Joseon diplomatic mission to Japan. Yoo explained that he had bought it with the intention of donating it to Buyeo Cultural Center and submitted it because it suited the theme of the special exhibition.

The problem lay in the process of deciding to exhibit the work. According to documents submitted to the National Assembly, the work was not included in the initial list of items for the special exhibition, finalized in February. However, after Yoo recommended it on May 8, a consent form for the work’s exhibition and a receipt for its transfer were prepared on the 19th, and its display location was finalized on the 22nd after a report to the director. It took 14 days from the recommendation to the finalization of the display location.

It also emerged that no sufficiently thorough, separate appraisal had been conducted to verify the work’s author. At the audit on the 19th, Yoo was asked why he had been certain that the calligraphy was by Park Won-geun. He replied, “Because I myself specialize in the history of calligraphy.” Critics questioned whether the director’s judgment as an expert had effectively replaced the museum’s internal verification process.

The use of an institutional head’s personal collection in an exhibition also became controversial in its own right. Since an exhibition at the National Museum could affect a work’s value, critics argued that the potential conflict of interest should have been carefully considered. Yoo said he had no intention of gaining personal benefit and had planned to donate the work after the exhibition.

Another factor that fueled the controversy was the failure to disclose who owned the work. After removing it, the museum and Yoo apologized for inadequate verification but did not disclose that the director was the owner. The fact emerged through documents submitted to the National Assembly more than two months later.

At the audit, Yoo explained that he had initially hesitated to say that he had exhibited a work from his personal collection because it might have seemed like he was boasting. After the work was identified as that of a pro-Japanese collaborator, he said he was embarrassed to admit his mistake as an art historian. He acknowledged that not disclosing his ownership of the work was “a serious error and an oversight.”

Questions were also raised about the boundary between personal collections and public exhibitions. A “Jasu Sangbojagi” embroidery work owned by Yoo was also included in the same special exhibition. At the audit, lawmakers also pointed out that the museum’s website had been slow to publish information about two items, including a Seokhosang sculpture donated to the museum by Yoo’s spouse. The museum explained that it had taken time to photograph the heavy objects in high resolution because they were difficult to move to the photography studio.

The timing of a February exhibition at the National Museum of Korea related to Gyeomjae Jeong Seon and the publication of Yoo’s personal book also drew criticism. Yoo gave a lecture associated with the exhibition and then signed copies of his book, prompting concerns that the line between a public institution’s exhibition and an individual’s writing activities was unclear. The museum explained that the exhibition was independently planned to mark the 350th anniversary of Jeong Seon’s birth and the reopening of the calligraphy and painting gallery, and was unrelated to the book’s publication.

Yoo is a prominent art historian who has made Korean cultural heritage accessible to the public through engaging storytelling. After making his debut as an art critic in the Dong-A Ilbo’s 1981 New Year’s Literary Contest, he taught art history at Yeungnam University and Myongji University, among others. Published in 1993, “My Cultural Heritage Exploration” sparked a boom in heritage tours and broadened cultural heritage from a subject of expert research to one of public interest.

In September 2004, he took office as commissioner of the Cultural Heritage Administration under the Roh Moo-hyun administration and led the administration of cultural heritage. However, he faced several controversies during his tenure. It emerged that his name had been inscribed inside the Naksansa Temple bell, which was destroyed in a wildfire and later restored. In 2007, the Cultural Heritage Administration came under fire for buying five of his books with government funds and distributing them for promotional purposes. Yoo explained that he had not personally ordered the purchases and donated the related proceeds.

In 2008, after the arson attack on Sungnyemun Gate destroyed a National Treasure, he submitted his resignation as commissioner of the Cultural Heritage Administration, taking responsibility for oversight and management. He was also caught up in controversy over a trip deemed to be for leisure after it emerged that he had been on a business trip to Europe with his spouse at the time. With his resignation announcement, he will become the head of a national cultural heritage institution for the second time without completing his term.

Becoming director of the National Museum of Korea had long been an ambition for Yoo. In 2003, he applied for an open recruitment for the position but withdrew his application amid controversy, including speculation that the appointment had already been decided. More than 20 years later, he finally took the post. When he assumed office in July last year, he outlined plans to introduce cultural heritage to a broader public and present the history and value of Korean art to the world.

In particular, he emphasized plans to present a fresh interpretation of the “5,000 Years of Korean Art” exhibition, which introduced the excellence of traditional Korean culture to audiences overseas in the 1970s and 1980s. The aim was to highlight Korean cultural heritage as the roots of K-culture and expand the museum’s international role.

The National Museum of Korea also saw a sharp rise in popularity. Last year, it drew 6,507,483 visitors, an increase of about 72% from the previous year, ranking third among the world’s major museums in visitor numbers. More than 3.79 million people visited in the first half of this year alone, and cumulative attendance surpassed 6 million as of the 19th. At the audit, Yoo forecast that annual attendance would exceed 7 million this year.

These achievements were the result of several factors, including the global popularity of K-culture, the long-standing efforts of museum staff, and the growth of exhibitions and cultural merchandise businesses. Yoo also helped expand public interest in the museum through active public engagements and lectures.

However, observers say that the strength of an art historian who had made cultural heritage easy for the public to understand proved to be a limitation in the verification process for exhibitions at the national museum. They say that an expert’s personal confidence in a work must be distinguished from an academic judgment officially endorsed by a national institution. One key challenge that remains is ensuring that curatorial researchers can conduct independent reviews and raise objections even when the institution’s director has reached a different conclusion.

In his resignation statement released that day, Yoo said, “I hope the significance of the special exhibition ‘Our Dining Table,’ which the museum’s research staff prepared with dedication over a long period, will not be diminished by this incident.” He apologized once again to the staff and the public.

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