Often found at theaters and museums, Kwon Mee-yoo has covered a wide range of cultural fields from K-pop and dramas to theater and fine art for over a decade. Now as K-Culture Desk editor, she tries to connect Korean culture with global readers through fresh perspectives.
Historic epitaph plaque of wife of first Korean minister to US returns to Korea
From left, Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation (OKCHF) Chair Kim Jung-hee, Brigham Young University professor Mark Peterson and Korea University professor Park Chan-su stand together with the 19th-century porcelain epitaph plaque of Madam Jo at the OKCHF headquarters in Seoul, Monday. Professor Park is the great-grandson of Madam Jo and Park Chung-yang, Korea's inaugural minister to the U.S. Peterson, a Korean studies scholar, donated the artifact to the descendents of Park and Jo. Courtesy of Cultural Heritage Administration
By Kwon Mee-yoo
The epitaph plaque of Madam Jo (1841-92), wife of Park Chung-yang (1841-1905), Korea's first minister to the United States in 1887, has found its way back to her descendants in Korea.
Donated by Mark Peterson, a prominent Korean studies scholar and professor emeritus of Brigham Young University, the object's return was facilitated by the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation (OKCHF).
"The White Porcelain Epitaph Plaque with Cobalt-blue Underglaze Calligraphy for Madam Jo of the Yangju Jo clan" was handed over to Park Chan-su, great-grandson of Jo and Park and a business administration professor at Korea University, through a ceremony at the OKCHF headquarters in Seoul, Monday. The Jukcheon-gong family of the Bannam Park clan will be responsible for safeguarding the artifact.
Measuring 17.5 cm tall, 14.7 cm wide and 1.3 cm thick, the epitaph plaque is a typical style from the latter days of the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty and was created in the 29th regnal year of King Gojong, which corresponds to 1892. The white porcelain contains 122 letters in cobalt-blue underglaze that account the life of Jo, who had two daughters and a son with Minister Park.
She was initially buried in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, after her passing in 1892, and later in 1921 her tomb was moved to Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, for a joint burial with her husband. The condition of the plaque suggests it may have been lost and damaged before the joint burial by unknown causes.
"The White Porcelain Epitaph Plaque with Cobalt-blue Underglaze Calligraphy for Madam Jo of the Yangju Jo clan" / Courtesy of Cultural Heritage Administration
Peterson, a renowned scholar in Korean history with a doctoral degree from Harvard University, was director of the Korea Fulbright Foundation from 1978 to 1983. He also served as chairman of the Korean Studies Committee of the American Asian Studies Association and editor-in-chief of the Korea Journal published by UNESCO.
The professor had accidentally purchased the plaque and kept it for about 40 years. In July 2022, he shared his intention to return the epitaph plaque to the family of Park Chung-yang when he introduced the artifact through his YouTube channel "The Frog Outside the Well," which delivers Korea- and Korean history-related contents to some 140,000 subscribers.
An employee of OKCHF’s U.S. office saw the video and initiated contact between Peterson and the descendants, leading to the agreement for the donation.
Before its return to Korea, the epitaph plaque was showcased at a special exhibition titled "PARK, CHUNG YANG: First Korean Minister to the U.S." at the Old Korean Legation Museum in Washington, D.C., starting in October 2022.
According to the foundation, visitors to the exhibition appreciated the historical value of the plaque, citing its testament to the longstanding Korea-U.S. relationship, as Park Chung-yang had resided in Washington nearly 135 years ago as Korea's first representative to the U.S.
Following the exhibition's conclusion in September, the plaque was stored at the OKCHF office in Seoul until the delivery ceremony.
The CHA and OKCHF vowed to continue their efforts in repatriating Korean cultural heritage located overseas through networking and communication.