[KS] Korean Museums

[jimhoare64 at aol.co.uk]

Dear List
Emeritus Professor Keith Pratt has been trying to send this to the list without success. I am therefore trying for him
Jim Hoare




DearList members,

In a 2006 conference paper (Korean Museums: Modernization and participation ininternational activities), Sung Kee-in wrote: 

"In this [the protectorate] period, Japanese immigrants
aggressively collected and purchased all
kinds of handicrafts and art work all over
Korea, paving a solid base for national
museums. It was also during this period that
grave-robbers-cum-merchants actively
explored the ancient capitals, Ke Sung and
Kang Wha. Their findings were gathered up
and taken to the Cho Sun Governor's office.
Ironically, the Korean imperial family had to
pay heavily to purchase these stolen artifacts.
In this initial period, the museum's collection
comprised over 12,230 pieces in total.
The stone-built Hall Art Museum,
completed in 1909, was located inside the
Duk Su Palace, which used to be the abode
of the abdicated emperor Go-Zong. The
collection then comprised more than 110,000
pieces."

Does this help or complicate the issue still further?? Can anyone verify thematter of the 'imperial family' buying back the artefacts at great cost? I hadbeen wondering which particular 'stone-built' building he was referring to asthe 'Hall Art Museum' in the Toksu Palace, and had assumed that it was theSokcho-jon, which H W Davidson finished in 1909. 

Keith

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