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An artwork that the National Museum of Korea exhibited as calligraphy by an independence activist has been embroiled in allegations that it was actually written by a pro-Japanese collaborator. The museum acknowledged that its verification process was inadequate and stated it is currently appraising the handwriting.

Reporter An Huijae has more.

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An elderly man with gray hair kneels and weeps before a scroll of calligraphy.

This single photo, taken at the National Museum of Korea, recently drew widespread attention.

The calligraphy was introduced as belonging to independence activist Park Won-geun, and the weeping senior is his son, Park Yong-hyun.

Having no other mementos, he believed he was encountering his long-missed father's traces for the very first time.

[Park Yong-hyun / Son of Patriot Park Won-geun (August 2020): There is what they call an 'Ahrn Surveillance Target Card,' which features my father. (Aside from that,) I only have sporadic memories of my father....]

However, three days later, the museum removed the calligraphy without any prior notice, replacing it with a single poem in its place.

[Exhibition Official (Yesterday afternoon): It has been replaced. Due to personal reasons....]

Two days after quietly pulling the artwork down, as SBS began its reporting yesterday, the National Museum of Korea released an official apology, and today Director-General Yu Hong-jun personally bowed his head in regret.

The museum explained that it "withdrew the piece for verification because there is a possibility it belongs to someone else with the same name." Absurdly enough, that person with the identical name was identified as a prominent pro-Japanese collaborator.

Known as Park Jung-yang—a member of the Imperial Diet of Japan who reportedly took the lead in suppressing the March 1st Independence Movement—his name before changing it was reportedly Park Won-geun, the same as the late activist.

The museum stated, "The owner of the relic claimed it was the work of activist Park," adding, "We are comparing and appraising the handwriting after receiving a tip following the exhibition," and "We acknowledge that there were shortcomings in our verification process."

Upon hearing the news that the piece might actually belong to a pro-Japanese collaborator who tormented independence activists, the descendant of activist Park expressed utter bewilderment. Nonetheless, stating that it would not be right for a descendant of a patriot to lead efforts that tarnish the reputation of a state institution, he simply asked the museum to "strive to uncover the truth."

While the National Museum of Korea has belatedly set out to formulate preventive measures, it faces inevitable criticism for losing face due to sloppy relic verification.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
(Video Reported by Jeong Sang-bo, Lee Chan-soo | Video Edited by Choi Hye-ran | Design by Han Heung-su, Lee So-jung, Kim Han-gil, Jeon Yu-geun)