The director of the National Museum of Korea, You Hong-june, has come under scrutiny after the institution pulled an object from his private collection from its current exhibition, according to South Korean English language newspaper Korea JoongAng Daily. Initially attributed to an independence activist, the piece was later identified as a work by a pro-Japanese collaborator.
You has exhibited and donated other items in his collection since he took office in 2025, and the incident has sparked questions about his influence on the selection of works for exhibition.
The work at the center of the controversy was presented in the show “The Korean Table: Food, Nature, and Life” (on view through October 25) as a calligraphy by Park Won-geun (1912–50). Park was, an independence activist from North Chungcheong who fought against Japanese colonial rule (1910–1945), a dark period in Korean history marked by forced assimilation, loss of individual rights, and exploitation.
A month later, amid outside questions regarding the work’s attribution, the museum removed it from the exhibition; subsequent research confirmed that the piece was in fact by pro-Japanese collaborator Park Jung-yang, who had once used the name Park Won-geun.
While the museum apologized for the mix-up, it did not initially disclose the owner of the piece or how it came to be in the exhibition. You, however, admitted to lending the work, though he denied that the loan was meant to boost the value of the objects in his collection. “I did lend the piece from my private collection,” he told JoongAng Ilbo “I also believed the calligraphy was the work of an independence activist.”
The admission has spurred calls for changes to the museum’s verification process.
“A national museum should apply the strictest standards when selecting exhibits, yet it is deeply concerning that works owned or recommended by the director may bypass rigorous curatorial review,” a senior figure in the museum community who requested anonymity told JoongAng Ilbo. “Museum staff must seriously reflect on their responsibility to the public and the museum’s role as a public institution.”