National Museum of Korea Director Yu Hong-jun resigns

Yu Hong-jun, the director of the National Museum of Korea, has announced his resignation following a controversy regarding a personal collection item displayed in a special exhibition titled ‘Our Table’.

The controversy began when a piece of calligraphy, originally presented as the work of independence activist Park Won-geun, was identified as the writing of Park Jung-yang, a known pro-Japanese collaborator. Further scrutiny revealed that Yu had purchased the item at an auction in 2019 and failed to disclose that it was part of his personal collection during the exhibition.

In a statement released on the 21st, Yu took full responsibility for the incident, stating that his personal mistake had undermined the trust placed in the museum and the values built by its staff. He expressed deep apologies to the public, the families of independence activists, and museum employees, noting that stepping down was necessary to restore the museum's honor.