Forger of Lee U-fan's works indicted

Lee U-fan's "Point"

By Yun Suh-young

The prosecution indicted a gallery operator who had allegedly forged artist Lee U-fan's works, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said Wednesday.

The 66-year-old gallery operator is charged with forging and selling three artworks by Lee, including a copy of "From Point" and making 1.3 billion won ($1.1 million) off the sales.

The gallery owner, identified by the surname Hyeon, had been running a gallery in Dongdaemun, northeastern Seoul. In 2011, he allegedly received a suggestion from an antiques dealer trading between Japan and Korea who offered to pay 50 percent of the profit for selling a forged Lee U-fan piece if Hyeon could produce it.

Prosecutors say Hyeon then decided to team up with a Western-style painter and received canvases and an easel from the antique dealer.

In 2012, Hyeon and his partner allegedly produced two pieces similar to "From Point" and one piece similar to "From Line" series, putting Lee's signature in the pieces.

Prosecutors say the works were then sold to one person through two gallery operators in Seoul's Insa-dong and Busan later that year.

The police began their investigation last year after receiving reports that the forgeries had been traded between several galleries in Insa-dong for billions of won between 2012 and 2013.

Hyeon who had fled to Japan was arrested and taken into custody last month. The antiques dealer is still under investigation.

Police are continuing their questioning Hyeon and the painter who said they also produced 50 other counterfeit works.

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