Patriot's handwriting turns out to be from a collaborator? National Museum apologizes for insufficient verification

The National Museum of Korea has withdrawn a calligraphy piece from its special exhibition "Our Table" after it was revealed that the work, initially presented as belonging to independence activist Park Won-geun (1912-1950), might actually be the handwriting of Park Joong-yang, a pro-Japanese collaborator with the same name.

The museum issued an apology on its website, signed by director Yoo Hong-joon, stating that the artifact was removed on July 10 for accurate verification. The apology acknowledged the insufficient vetting of exhibition items and expressed regret to the public.

The disputed artwork features the Chinese characters "일반시국은" (ilban sig-eun), meaning "A single bowl of rice is a national grace," taken from the teachings of Monk Yeonggyu (?-1592), a Buddhist warrior who fought against Japanese invaders during the Imjin War. The museum had initially identified the calligraphy as the work of Park Won-geun, a patriotic figure from Boeun, North Chungcheong Province. A photograph of Park Won-geun's descendant weeping before the artwork was published in some media outlets.

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We removed the artifact on July 10 for accurate verification. We apologize to the public for the insufficient vetting of exhibition items.

However, recent submissions from the Korean calligraphy community suggested that "Park Won-geun" might be an alias used by Park Joong-yang (1874-1959), a prominent collaborator during the Japanese colonial period. Following this, the museum retrieved the piece and is currently undergoing expert appraisal.

Park Joong-yang held high-ranking positions during the Japanese occupation, including governor of North and South Hwanghae provinces and a member of the Imperial Diet of Japan, actively supporting the colonial government. Historical records describe him as one of the "top contributors to Korea's colonial rule over 25 years."

The calligraphy piece was previously listed as the work of independence activist Park Won-geun when it was put up for auction in 2019. The museum reportedly selected it for the exhibition after learning of this background. In its apology, the museum expressed sorrow to the family of Park Won-geun for the distress caused and pledged to conduct more thorough cross-verification of artifact histories in the future.

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We express our apologies for the confusion and heartache experienced by the family of independence activist Park Won-geun, who believed it to be an ancestral artifact. We will conduct multifaceted cross-verification of artifact histories going forward.