Key facts
- The misattributed work was from the private collection of You Hong-june.
- The calligraphic work was written by a pro-Japanese collaborator during colonial rule.
- The item was wrongly introduced as the work of a Korean independence activist.
You Hong-june, director of the National Museum of Korea, resigned on Wednesday amid controversy over a misattributed calligraphic work from his private collection. The piece, written by a pro-Japanese collaborator during Japan's colonial rule of Korea, was wrongly presented as the work of a Korean independence activist. The museum has since removed the item from its special exhibition. You stated that he concluded he should step down "to restore the museum's tarnished honor," taking full responsibility for the mistake. He had previously apologized twice and bowed before lawmakers during a parliamentary audit on Monday.
