Korean Art Odyssey Korea's dual mission for overseas heritage: reclaim what it can, revitalize what it can't

An 1864 woodblock print of "Daedongyeojido," a rare map of the Korean Peninsula from the 19th century made by cartographer Kim Jeong-ho, is on view at the National Palace Museum of Korea in March 2023, after it was restituted from Japan earlier that year. Yonhap

DENVER, Colo./DRESDEN, Germany — For decades, many museums in Europe and the United States devoted themselves to filling their halls with the world’s most prized antiquities. These fervent acquisition campaigns meant a tide of works were brought in from nations that had been exploited by colonization and war.

Today, those same institutions find themselves at a moment of reckoning. Questions of ethical stewardship and problematic provenance now press upon them, prompting growing international calls to return objects that were forcibly removed from their place of origin.

Korea, too, bears its own scars of loss. Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule and the 1950-53 Korean War forced many cultural treasures to leave their homeland.

What seems to distinguish Korea’s response, however, is its unusually centralized approach. The task of tracking, research and strategic planning for overseas artifacts is not scattered across separate entities but is instead entrusted to a single organization: the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation (OKCHF).

Two royal seals of the Joseon court that were returned from the U.S. in 2019 / Courtesy of Korea Heritage Service

Established in 2012, the year following the high-profile return of the royal “Oegyujanggak Uigwe” from France, the state-affiliated foundation documents where Korean artifacts abroad are held, investigates how they left the peninsula and monitors their current state. Drawing on this research, it develops a broad repertoire of game plans — from coordinating repatriation to providing conservation and restoration support to museums.

“In cases where illegal removal is clear, such as with the royal seals of the Joseon court, government-to-government negotiations or international investigations may come into play. But many other Korean artifacts overseas demand a different approach,” Kang Hae-seung, director of the foundation’s research department, told The Korea Times. “OKCHF exists to craft strategies tailored to each object and circumstance.”

Restitution in action

In terms of physical repatriation, the agency not only facilitates the return of unlawfully removed Korean objects but also participates in auctions, negotiates purchases from private collectors and accepts donations.

“When it comes to purchases, our limited budget requires us to prioritize valuable pieces that cannot easily be found in Korea or face the risk of disappearing without state intervention,” Kang said.

The foundation has so far identified nearly 248,000 Korean cultural artifacts abroad, though this figure excludes items held in private hands. To date, it has successfully brought back 2,854 objects.

A once-lost signboard of Gyeongbok Palace's Seonwonjeon Hall, a sacred space where portraits of past kings were enshrined, is unveiled at the National Palace Museum of Korea, Feb. 27, after its successful repatriation from Japan. Korea Times photo by Kang Ye-jin

For works housed in museum collections with murky provenance, one of OKCHF’s most important tools is its annual field survey.

“Each year, we document and monitor the Korean pieces in their collections. During that process, we occasionally come across works that raise questions,” Kang explained.

When that information becomes public, concerns arise organically, and civic groups sometimes reach out to museums themselves. “Unlike in the past, many institutions now sense the shifting international climate. Increasingly, they’re deciding on their own to return certain artifacts burdened with troubling histories.”

Max Hollein, left, director and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and Ven. Ji-hye, chief monk of Sinheung Temple in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, hold an agreement for the return of "The Tenth King of Hell" during a ceremony at KGIT Center in Seoul, Nov. 14. The painting, which is believed to have left Korea around 1954, was officially sent back to the temple after the museum acknowledged uncertainties in its provenance. Yonhap

A recent example is the decision by New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art to return “The Tenth King of Hell” (1798), a Korean Buddhist painting, to Sinheung Temple in Sokcho, Gangwon Province. The work is part of a 10-panel “Siwangdo” series that once hung in the temple’s Myeongbujeon Hall, depicting the 10 kings who judge the dead in the Buddhist afterlife.

The Met acquired the painting in 2007 and showed it in “Arts of Korea” (2008) and “Korean Art” (2012). When the museum announced its return, Director and CEO Max Hollein framed the decision as part of a broader institutional shift.

“The Met has a long history of working with colleagues and institutions in Korea, and we look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts to enhance the world’s understanding and appreciation of the arts of Korea,” he said during a ceremony in Seoul.

Maxwell Hearn, chair of the Department of Asian Art, emphasized both the ethical and educational stakes.

“We are very pleased that the painting finds its rightful home. We don’t want to hold on to any works of art that have been removed from a country illegally, so we’re trying to do the right thing,” he noted. “At the same time, we recognize that it’s important to have wonderful works of Korean art to represent Korean culture in America. The Met has a very broad, international audience and this is one way for us to bring Korean culture to a wider public.”

Researchers believe the 10-panel set was removed from Sinheung Temple around 1954, when Sokcho was under U.S. military administration after the Korean War. Six of the panels were later found in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s collection and returned to the temple in 2020.

The panel’s repatriation shows how public advocacy overlaps with state-led efforts. The Sokcho Committee for the Return of Cultural Heritage, led by Lee Sang-rae, spearheaded three years of talks with the Met and submitted evidence pointing to the painting’s unlawful removal during the U.S. military presence such as photos and oral histories from elderly Sokcho residents.

“One 1954 photograph of the temple, donated by a U.S. soldier, showed that this 10th panel was missing,” Lee explained. “At that time, Sokcho was under military administration, so only U.S. troops could move freely, strongly suggesting that the painting was taken by the American forces.”

A 19th-century folding screen, "Welcoming Banquet of the Governor of Pyeongan," is displayed at the Peabody Essex Museum's Yu Kil-Chun Gallery of Korean Art and Culture in Salem, Mass. The piece underwent an extensive 16-month restoration as part of a joint initiative between the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation and the Samsung Foundation of Culture. Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum

Beyond repatriation

However, for OKCHF, Kang stressed, what matters just as much as advocating repatriation is supporting museums abroad in the proper research and conservation of their Korean holdings. In essence, it’s about ensuring that these artifacts can be shared with a wider public through expanded exhibition and educational opportunities.

“It’s important to note that there are many works that left Korea via legitimate channels — as diplomatic gifts or through fair transactions. Objects believed to have left under such circumstances are not candidates for return.”

And even when an artifact does come home, public access is by no means guaranteed; many pieces, once placed in storage, rarely see the light again.

“That’s why we can’t focus solely on bringing objects back,” she said. “We also need to help institutions abroad preserve the items they already hold, so they can reenter the public eye. That, too, is a way of bringing Korean cultural heritage to the world.”

Each year, the foundation invites museums worldwide to apply for funding and expertise needed to restore artifacts that have fallen into disrepair.

Among the beneficiaries was “One Hundred Boys at Play” at the Denver Art Museum (DAM) in Colorado.

The 10-panel folding screen surfaced during a survey of the museum’s Korean collection by Hyonjeong Kim Han, DAM’s senior curator of Asian art. She saw both the charm of its late Joseon-era imagery — children cavorting across the panels — and its potential for future public programming. But its condition was so poor that the screen could not be fully opened, rendering it unexhibitable since its arrival at the museum in 1970.

A late Joseon-era folding screen, "One Hundred Boys at Play," from the collection of the Denver Art Museum / Courtesy of Korea Heritage Service

In 2023, Kim Han applied for OKCHF’s annual conservation program. After a yearlong restoration in Korea, the screen returned to Denver this summer and will greet the community in a new exhibition later this year.

“The most meaningful thing a museum can do with an object is to show it to the public,” said Park Ji-young, National Museum of Korea fellow of Korean art at DAM. “Conservation makes it possible to bring these works back into the world.”

Yet restoration projects are often costly, and, for many institutions, not particularly urgent. “External support allows us to properly care for what we have and make it accessible again. Our Korean collection may not grow numerically, but the number of pieces available for exhibition certainly does,” she added.

This has become increasingly vital, Kim Han noted, “at a time when interest in traditional Korean art is rising in the U.S. along with its prices.” Acquiring new works has become incredibly difficult, which means being able to activate what it already has is invaluable.

Greater visibility for restored Korean pieces can even spark new donations. The museum is currently formalizing a gift of a late 19th-century floral-and-bird embroidery screen, discovered only after a Denver resident reached out after seeing DAM’s Korean ceramics exhibition. The item had been collected in Seoul by her father-in-law, a U.S. Army engineer stationed in Korea in the 1950s, and kept in the family ever since.

Another meaningful outcome of the foundation’s support is its impact on museum staff, particularly conservators. “DAM’s conservation team rarely handled Korean objects before,” Park said. “But through projects like this, they’ve built relationships with Korean specialists and were even invited to an on-site workshop. That kind of exchange equips them with the knowledge to approach Korean materials and techniques with far greater sensitivity in future work.”

Eight-panel folding screen "Guo Fenyang's Enjoyment of Life" is on display during "100 Ideas of Happiness: Art Treasures from Korea" exhibition at Residenzschloss, part of Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden in Dresden, Germany, in August. The 19th-century painting is in the collection of GRASSI Museum of Ethnology in Leipzig and was restored through joint efforts of the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation and the Jung-Jae Conservation Center between 2022 and 2024. Korea Times photo by Kwon Mee-yoo

Sparking new collaborations

In Europe, the exhibition “100 Ideas of Happiness: Art Treasures from Korea,” held at the Residenzschloss, part of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD), in Dresden, Germany, from March to August, showcased the eight-panel folding screen “Guo Fenyang’s Enjoyment of Life,” known in Korean as “Gwakbunyang Haengnakdo,” from the collection of the GRASSI Museum of Ethnology in Leipzig. The screen was presented to the public after a 15-month restoration in Korea, carried out with OKCHF and the Jung-Jae Conservation Center between 2022 and 2024.

“It is rare for Korean artifacts to be restored in Korea, and this method fits well with our principles,” said Sojin Baik, curatorial fellow and adviser for Asian and Transatlantic Cooperation at SKD. “We place strong emphasis on preserving objects in ways that honor their traditions. Even for paintings, each work requires a different approach. In this case, the screen had been dismantled while at the GRASSI Museum and came back to us fully restored in its original folding-screen form.”

SKD Director Bernd Ebert described the project as a benchmark for international collaboration. The restoration, he noted, “exemplifies how mutual respect, knowledge exchange and shared stewardship of cultural heritage can lead to outstanding results,” ensuring the professional preservation of important Korean art abroad while underscoring “the value of collective cooperation rooted in scholarly dialogue and practical expertise.”

Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden Director Bernd Ebert poses during the "100 Ideas of Happiness. Art Treasures from Korea" exhibition at Residenzschloss, part of Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, in Dresden, Germany, in August. Korea Times photo by Kwon Mee-yoo

Such efforts can serve as a blueprint for future partnerships. SKD, for instance, holds a group of folk objects from Jeju Island from the early 20th century that are uncommon to find even in Korea in comparable form. These rare materials offer possibilities for joint research, digitization and new contextual displays. The special exchange exhibition “Between and Beyond: A Centennial Journey,” organized at the Jeju Folklore and Natural History Museum from May to August, is one example of how these partnerships can take shape.

Ebert notes the long-term goal extends beyond institutional ties.

“Our vision includes ... people-to-people diplomacy,” the director said. “We want to facilitate direct, meaningful exchange between individuals, scholars, artists and communities across borders ... This human-centered approach to diplomacy enriches our museum work and supports our mission to be a place of shared cultural knowledge and global engagement.”

Installation view of "100 Ideas of Happiness. Art Treasures from Korea" exhibition at Residenzschloss, part of Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, in Dresden, Germany / Courtesy of Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden

Connecting with next generation

For Park at the Denver Art Museum, all these efforts to support and activate Korean collections abroad, which go beyond pushing for repatriation, hold particular meaning for the next generation of the Korean diaspora.

“When children begin to show curiosity about Korean culture, the museum’s Korean gallery is the easiest place to take them. Even the smallest object, encountered in person rather than on a screen, makes a huge difference,” she said. “For families who can’t travel to Korea often, these galleries become a space where their heritage can still be felt.”

A conversation with her Thai colleague sharpened that understanding. “Thailand doesn’t always have galleries devoted to its own heritage, and they spoke of the feeling of loss that comes from not seeing their culture represented. It made me realize just how precious these Korean galleries are for our children.”

Baik of SKD noted that curiosity about Korea is already growing among Europeans, driven by global phenomena ranging from K-pop to literary achievements such as Han Kang’s Nobel Prize win in 2024. With that in mind, the Dresden exhibition was conceived not only to highlight Korean masterpieces but also to serve as a bridge for local communities — especially younger generations — to experience Korean culture in a more interactive way. The museum’s curatorial and education teams worked together to design a series of public and educational programs for Dresden children and families, scheduling regular workshops and hands-on activities throughout the run of the show.

“The goal was to treat the exhibition as a window onto Korea and its culture,” Baik said.

While the museum’s core audience tends to be visitors in their 60s and older, this exhibition drew a noticeable influx of younger Germans interested in how Korea and Europe evolved differently during similar historical periods. That shift, Baik suggested, demonstrates why it matters to keep Korean art visible in international institutions.

In that sense, the effort to care for Korean collections overseas — by OKCHF, but also by curators, conservators, educators, civic groups and partner institutions — is more than about restitution. It is also about ensuring that Korean heritage, wherever it resides, is researched, conserved and shared, so that future generations in Korea and around the world can see themselves reflected in the museum’s glass.