Is CHA overspending on new museum?

The main hall of Daehan Empire History Museum in Deoksu Palace / Yonhap

By Do Je-hae

The nation's central agency for managing traditional heritage has just spent almost 15 billion won for a new museum inside Deoksu Palace in central Seoul.

That's a lot of money for a single project for the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), which will spend about 60 billion won fixing 251 cultural heritage sites around the country next year.

During a press preview Tuesday, the CHA underlined the value of the Daehan Empire History Museum, which opens Oct. 13. The museum is the first of its kind in Korea, as no history museum here to date has been solely devoted to introducing the royal life of the Korean Empire (1897-1910) which succeeded the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1897) before Korea became a Japanese colony in 1910.

The museum opens as the CHA is still under harsh criticism for a series of botched renovation schemes, particularly the nation's No.1 National Treasure Sungnyemun Gate which suffered critical damage a few years ago. "We have had a lot of problems in recent years, so we are apprehensive about how the public will perceive the new museum," said Kim Won-gi, a director-general at CHA.

Whenever culture officials hold a press conference, one of their biggest excuses for not doing something right is lack of funds. This reporter couldn’t’t help but think that they could have spent the 15 billion won doing something more useful, like using authentic materials to rebuild the Sungnyemun Gate.

In the vicinity of Deoksu Palace, there is the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, which covers the Japanese colonial era. Deoksu Palace is already a tourist magnet and one of the prettiest walking sites in central Seoul coupled with a lovely art gallery. It did not need a new museum to raise its profile.

Much of the press conference was spent on the officials' explanation of the significance of Korean Empire by scholars who were involved in the projects, who said that the historical significance of the Korean Empire has so far been underappreciated.

It seemed that CHA was trying too hard to place a meaning on a period of Korean history that many Koreans don’t care to know about and glorify an empire that ultimately lost its sovereignty to imperial Japan.

"For about a decade, historians have started to take a new approach to the research of the Korean Empire," said Ahn Chang-mo, a professor of architecture at Kyonggi University. "The Seokjojeon, which has been turned into the Daehan Empire History Museum, used to be considered a symbol of the Japanese rule, but now more scholars are starting to see the building as a symbol of Emperor Gojong's determination for independence from Japan."

"The renovation of Seokjojeon, the main building of Deoksu Palace, into the Daehan Empire History Museum is meaningful in that people can experience the pain of our contemporary history," renowned historian Lee Tae-jin, professor emeritus of Seoul National University, said.