The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has signaled a sweeping audit of the National Museum of Korea following the resignation of Director Yoo Hong-june, who stepped down to take responsibility for a controversy over the display and vetting of an item from his own collection. Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young offered his first assessment of the case, saying the museum's reputation and public trust had been damaged.
Speaking at a comprehensive audit by the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee on the 23rd, Choi responded to Rep. Chung Yeon-wook of the People Power Party, who called for a strict audit of the former director. "I believe the reputation the National Museum of Korea has built over many years and the public's trust in it have been damaged," Choi said. "I find that deeply regrettable, and we will restore that trust through a thorough audit."
Asked by Chung to focus the audit specifically on the former director, Choi said the ministry would not confine its review to his alleged abuse of authority. "We will audit every procedure involved in the handling and vetting of the exhibits that became an issue this time," he said.
The museum drew criticism after its special exhibition "Our Table," which opened in July, displayed a piece of calligraphy by Park Joong-yang, a pro-Japanese collaborator, while identifying it as the work of independence activist Park Won-geun. The controversy widened when it emerged that the item had been purchased by Yoo through an online auction in 2019 and that he had recommended it for the exhibition about two months before the opening. Yoo offered his resignation on the 21st, saying he had "reached the conclusion that stepping down as director was the right course," and the Presidential Office accepted it immediately.
Choi also rejected allegations that the ministry had hastily arranged overseas cultural events for first lady Kim Hye-kyung. Responding to Rep. Kim Seung-soo of the People Power Party, who raised the allegations, Choi said, "The ministry does not host what you would call 'first lady events.'"
Rep. Kim Seok-ki said 1.411 billion won had been spent from the ministry's budget on nine overseas cultural events that the first lady attended without the president. By the same measure, he said, 378.6 million won was spent on four events involving former first lady Kim Keon-hee and 238 million won on three events involving former first lady Kim Jung-sook, comparing budgets across previous presidential spouses.
Choi pushed back, saying interest in Korean culture is running high worldwide. "When interest in South Korea peaks in a country the president is visiting, we plan cultural events to match that," he said. "It is only natural for the first lady, who accompanies the president on those trips, to attend such events. I don't see why that is a problem."
On criticism that some of the overseas events the first lady attended had been arranged quickly through non-competitive (sole-source) contracts, Choi said the nature of presidential trips makes advance planning difficult. "That is why the ministry uses its budget on short notice and holds the events through non-competitive (sole-source) contracts," he said.
Rep. Choi Min-hee of the Democratic Party of Korea said the first lady did not appear to have bought luxury goods abroad as others had. "If the first lady helps us meet even one more person and win support for Korean culture, isn't that a good thing?" she asked. Choi replied that the first lady was "being a great help."
With the global K-pop festival "Phanomenon Festival," scheduled for December next year, still under scrutiny, Choi said a joint venture dedicated to the event would be established within this month.
Responding to Rep. Bae Hyun-jin of the People Power Party, who said the joint venture should be set up before the National Assembly reviews the budget, Choi said, "The Fair Trade Commission ruled last month that a joint venture involving the four major agencies may be established, so the entity will be created by the end of October."
Asked about the need for safeguards allowing the ministry to oversee the venture's operations, Choi said the festival would be meaningless without the four agencies. "As it stands, the four companies cannot use the Phanomenon trademark as they please," he said. "We will also examine whether the ministry can take a direct role and become more involved."
At the audit, the original of a revised contract on the Phanomenon trademark rights was submitted and reviewed on site by committee members. The new contract reportedly splits the domestic and overseas trademark rights evenly between the ministry and the joint venture, at 50% each. Bae said the revision "faithfully reflects the points I raised at the Oct. 7 audit, and I find it appropriate."