Yu Hong-jun resigns as National Museum of Korea director over misattributed calligraphy

Resignation and final apology

The National Museum of Korea said in a press release that Yu offered to resign taking full responsibility for the controversy over exhibiting the privately owned calligraphy Ilban Siguk-eun. In a statement, Yu said the public's deep trust in the museum and the values built by staff had collapsed because of his personal mistake, and that stepping down was right to restore its tarnished reputation.

President Lee Jae-myung approved the resignation on 21 October, Cheong Wa Dae Chief Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said, according to Yonhap. Yu is the first head of the museum to step down over a personal matter in its more than 80-year history.

At a farewell ceremony on 22 October at the museum in Yongsan District, Seoul, Yu said he was sorry for tarnishing the museum's honor and stepping down because of a personal mistake. The museum titled the event a transfer ceremony, not a retirement ceremony, to reflect its hope of meeting Yu again in a better role, the Chosun Ilbo reported.

How the calligraphy was shown and removed

The work, Ilban Siguk-eun, hung in the special exhibition Our Table, which opened in July. The museum introduced it as calligraphy by independence activist Park Won-geun. After an outside tip it concluded the piece was by Pak Chungyang, a figure designated as a pro-Japanese collaborator. It came down a little over a month into the run, while the show was still open.

Yu bought the piece at an online auction in 2019 for 50,000 won, about $38. He recommended it for the exhibition, the Herald Business reported. He did not disclose that it came from his own collection because he did not want it to look like self-promotion. After the ownership became known, controversy over lax verification and a conflict of interest spread, the Chosun Ilbo reported.

The audit that increased the pressure

A National Assembly audit of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee took place on 19 October. People Power Party lawmaker Kim Seung-soo asked whether the calligraphy had ever been professionally appraised. Yu said he had been confident because he is a specialist in the history of calligraphy, then called it a personal appraisal.

He apologized twice and bowed before lawmakers at the audit, the Korea Times reported.

Asked about his donation of around 860 artifacts to the Buyeo Cultural Center since 2019, Yu joked that he had donated them without his wife knowing and would face a household audit rather than a parliamentary audit when he got home.

The Maeil Business Newspaper reported that calls for his resignation spread beyond conservative media to liberal outlets. Kim also said Yu's spouse had bought six parcels of land in Buyeo, bringing total holdings to more than 15,000 pyeong, and that their children also bought detached houses. He asked whether the purchases were connected to plans for a county-run Buyeo Museum.

Lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin released CCTV footage that he said showed an employee of the Cultural Foundation of National Museum of Korea shredding companies' price proposals, raising allegations that the selection process for the museum's cafe operator was unlawful.

Background and the museum's reach

Yu led the Cultural Heritage Administration, now the Korea Heritage Service, under the Roh Moo-hyun administration and stepped down in 2008 after the Sungnyemun fire. His tenure as museum director lasted 15 months, about a year and three months after he took the job in July last year. The museum drew 6.5 million visitors last year, ranking third among museums worldwide by attendance.

At the ceremony Yu called himself "truly a very fortunate person" to have served during what he described as the museum's golden age. He said he felt only regret and remorse.