National Museum of Korea Director Apologizes for Misattribution of a Work on Display

Editor’s Note: This story was updated on October 20, 2026, with additional information.

The director of the National Museum of Korea, You Hong-june, has issued a formal apology after a misidentified calligraphic artwork belonging to him was put on display at his museum. The news was announced by the South Korean English language newspaper Korea JoongAng Daily, which reported on the incident last week.

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 piece by Park Won-geun (1912–50). Park was socialist 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 it was in fact by pro-Japanese bureaucrat Park Jung-yang, who had once used the name Park Won-geun.

You has exhibited and donated other items from his collection to the institution since taking office in 2025, and the incident sparked questions about his influence on the selection of works for exhibitions.

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 an object 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 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.”

Yestderday, speaking during an annual parliamentary audit of the museum, You Hong-june bowed his head and apologized for the incident.

“The deep trust the public has placed in the museum and the value built through the hard work of museum staff have collapsed in an instant due to my grave oversight,” You told lawmakers.

When asked whether he had had the work authenticated before putting it on display, You answered that he had not because he was confident in his attribution, having majored in calligraphy history.

“Initially, I did not disclose that the calligraphy . . . was from my personal collection because I thought it might be seen as boasting,” You said. “After it was later identified as a work by Park Jung-yang, I felt ashamed as an art historian. I am ashamed and deeply remorseful.”