Hong-joon Yu, Director of the National Museum of Korea, has announced that he will step down from his post to take responsibility for the recent controversies surrounding the exhibition of his personal collection and related verification issues.

In a statement sent to the press corps today (October 21), Director Yu expressed his intention to resign, stating, "I have reached the conclusion that stepping down from the position of director is the right thing to do to restore the tarnished reputation of the museum."

Director Yu wrote, "The deep trust that the public has sent to the National Museum of Korea and the value built up by the museum staff have collapsed in an instant due to my personal mistake."

He added, "All criticism so far is entirely my responsibility," and offered another apology.