Two very special exhibitions

By Kim Ji-myung

Here are two impressive episodes I recently heard about two men who helped bring Korean cultural treasures home from China and Japan, resulting in them now being on display in special exhibitions.

One is about the donation made to the Seoul Baekje Museum by Prof. Lee Sang-yun of Yonsei University. He has donated some 45,000 prehistoric artifacts related to the Korean Prehistoric Age and ancient eras that were excavated from the present Chinese border areas.

Prof. Lee collected these items in the belief that the cultures of China's prehistory and ancient ages ― particularly the northeast region of China where Old Joseon (Gojoseon) is thought to have developed ― were closely connected with the Dongyi race, an ethnic group considered to be one of the ancestors of modern Koreans.

Of these artifacts a careful selection of approximately 120 items are now on display in the first special exhibition of the newly opened museum, until December 2, 2012. The exhibit includes pottery and ceramic from China's Prehistoric Age to the early Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties eras.

It is only some 10 years since the southeastern area of Seoul, now the capital and heart of Korea, was confirmed to have been the first capital of the ancient Baekje Kingdom (B.C. 18 - 660 A.D.). Many experts suggested this possibility for a long time, but it was only recently proven; excavated artifacts and relics in the region attest to the profound and flourishing culture of the Three Kingdoms period and on up to the 10th Century.

The Seoul City government established the Seoul Baekje Museum to showcase the long history of the region since the Paleolithic period, focusing on the Hanseong period of Baekje in particular. With its capital established along the Han River, the Baekje culture flourished in this area (currently Seoul) and had a powerful influence on neighboring countries. Baekje moved its capital south to Gongju, in South Chungcheong Province, after 493 years.

Dr. Lee In-sook, director of the museum, hopes that it will play a crucial role not only in the research of the prehistoric period and Hanseong Baekje's history but as a primary spot to visit in Seoul tourism.

Exhibitions, education programs, and active communication activities with the local people will shed a new light on the history of Seoul.

The collection of Prof. Lee was possible simply because he could purchase all available items that are considered to be related to ancient Korean history before the Chinese government began to ban the export of its cultural properties including these excavated artifacts.

Following this first special exhibition, the museum will present a series of exhibitions and international symposia on the history of ancient Korea as research work continues for the next decade at least.

The second episode I wish to relate to you is about the Horim Museum in southern Seoul which is known as one of the largest private collections in the nation and is now celebrating its 30th anniversary. Horim is the pseudonym of founder of the museum, Yun Jang-seop, a successful businessman born in 1922 in the city of Gaeseong, now in North Korea.

His encounter with the “Gaeseong trio” ― three experts in archeology and art history from the same hometown – led him to have a deep interest in the value of cultural assets that had been sold and taken out of the country, illegally most of the time. In 1982 he opened the Horim Museum which now has a collection of some 15,000 artifacts, including 8 national treasures, 46 treasures designated by the central government and 9 cultural heritage items designated by the Seoul City government.

One of the most valuable holdings of the museum is the perfect seven-piece set of Lotus of the True Law Sutra brush-written on white paper in 1377, designated as National Treasure No. 211. It is presumed that marauders stole it during the Japanese invasion of Korea (the Imjin War) at the end of the 16th Century.

One day in 1971, Yun was tipped by his friend Hwang Su-yeong, then director of the National Museum of Korea, that a “thing” was available. He advised Yun to “obtain it without fail as it was invaluable.”

The owner was Chang Seok-gu, a Korean-Japanese. He made a will to his son Gap-sun to “return the treasure to Korea”, and cautioned him to find a credible authentic owner. Very often a self-claimed collector-dealer will purchase valuable cultural items which would later reappear on the market, this time with an increased price tag.

When Yun visited Gap-sun at his home in Tokyo, the young man let him view the 7 volumes of the sutra, kept in double wooden boxes. Yun recalls that he could not believe that they were still in impeccable condition after 600 years.

Yun could not take them with him that day. He thanked the owner for allowing him to see them and returned to his hotel. The next day, he received the happy news that Gap-sun decided to hand them over to Yun. Later he learned that the owner re-confirmed through Director Hwang that Yun deserved to be allowed to collect the sutra.

The Horim museum spends more than 3 billion won on new purchases every year. Yun tries to bring Korean treasures back home from overseas whenever possible. His daughter-in-law Oh Eun-seon, who studied pottery in her university days, is now the director and carries on the mission of this important museum.

The writer is the chairwoman of the Korea Heritage Education Institute (K*Heritage). Her email address is Heritagekorea21@gmail.com.