South Korea’s National Museum director resigns over exhibit scandal

The director of South Korea’s National Museum, Yu, has officially resigned following a scandal over a calligraphy work by a person who collaborated with Japan during its colonial rule being presented as the work of a Korean independence activist.

Operative Information Center-OMM reports, citing Yonhap, that a historical calligraphy work created by an activist who collaborated with the colonial regime during Japan’s occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945 was displayed at the museum as an original work by a Korean independence activist.

It emerged that the work belonged to museum director Yu’s personal collection, prompting sharp criticism in the country’s cultural and public circles.

The historical exhibit, which came under heavy criticism, was promptly removed from the museum’s exhibition hall. Yu acknowledged that the incident had undermined public trust in the country’s leading cultural institution. In a written statement, he said he was stepping down to protect the museum’s reputation:

“Because of my personal mistake, public trust in the national museum was undermined in an instant. I take full moral and legal responsibility for the situation and all the justified criticism it has drawn,” Yu said.

Yu described his 15 months as director as the most honorable period of his career and apologized for the incident to the South Korean public, the descendants of independence activists and the museum’s staff.

Before resigning, the museum chief apologized twice before lawmakers in parliament, but opposition politicians and cultural figures said his actions were insufficient and called for his immediate resignation. The National Museum of Korea also confirmed in a statement that Yu had accepted responsibility and submitted his resignation.

Yu headed South Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration from 2004 to 2008 and was appointed director of the National Museum in July last year. He is also a well-known art historian in the country and the author of the bestselling book series “My Discovery of Cultural Heritage.”