On the 20th in front of Daehan Museum in Eunpyeong Hanok Village, Eunpyeong District, Seoul. The marker stone bore the name "Daehan Museum" along with "KOREA MUSEUM." The private Daehan Museum is set to open in May. All floors from the first to the fourth are to be used as exhibition halls.
Although it has not opened yet, on the afternoon of the day, a curator working at another museum in Seoul, a person surnamed Kim, 45, visited Daehan Museum. Kim said, "The name is Daehan Museum, but I heard it put up a guide that omits our history such as the Three Kingdoms period and lists only Chinese history, so I came to check the situation."
Even before opening, Daehan Museum drew fire for posting an exhibition guide that lists artifacts centered on Chinese history. Given that many foreigners visit Eunpyeong Hanok Village, there are rising concerns that people could mistake Chinese history for Korean history. The Seoul city government said it will take follow-up steps, including requesting the museum's founding purpose.
◇ "It's the Korea Museum but only Chinese history"… controversy before opening
The Daehan Museum controversy began with a post titled "I'm curious about the identity of the new museum opening in Eunpyeong Hanok Village," uploaded by an Eunpyeong District resident on the 15th to an online community. The post included a photo of a guide listing the artifacts to be exhibited at Daehan Museum.
The guide in the photo listed Chinese artifacts by era, from the Neolithic Age through Xia (夏), Shang (商), Zhou (周), the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, Qin (秦), Han (漢), Tang (唐), Song (宋), Ming (明), and Qing (淸), and into the early Republic of China. At the end, it said, "Some artworks from Korea, Japan, and various parts of the world will also be exhibited."
The writer said, "The name is Daehan Museum, Korea Museum, but only Chinese history is written (as the types of artifacts), so its identity is highly suspicious."
When we visited Daehan Museum, the guide listing the artifacts had been removed. A Daehan Museum official preparing for the opening inside said, "This morning (the 20th) we were instructed to take down the guide, so we did," and added, "We are aware of the controversy."
Peering through the window into the darkened interior of Daehan Museum, the first floor displayed horse-shaped sculptures and ceramics. Experts who reviewed the artifact photos presumed they were Chinese. A former museum director, identified as A, said, "I would need to examine them in person, but they appear to be artifacts of southern Chinese Buddhism," and added, "One thing is certain: they are not artifacts of Korea."
◇ "It should be the China Museum"… residents push back
Local residents worried that if Daehan Museum exhibits mainly Chinese artifacts despite its name, it could fuel misunderstandings among foreign tourists. According to the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), the number of foreign visitors to Jingwan-dong, where Eunpyeong Hanok Village is located, rose from 27,105 in 2022 to 216,232 last year, nearly an eightfold increase.
A person surnamed Park, 59, who said they have lived in Eunpyeong District all their life, said in a raised voice, "If you're going to fill it with Chinese artifacts, it should be the China Museum—why did you name it the Korea Museum?"
Some also said it does not fit the character of Eunpyeong Hanok Village. That is because Eunpyeong Hanok Village is designated as the "Bukhansan Mountain Han Culture Experience Special Zone," aiming to be a downtown special zone where people can experience and enjoy the country's only Han culture (韓文化).
As the controversy grew, the Seoul city government and Eunpyeong District moved to conduct on-site inspections. The city requested that Daehan Museum submit its founding purpose. Unlike national and public museums, private museums are not separately obligated to register, making it impossible to grasp Daehan Museum's founding purpose and exhibition plans.
Eunpyeong District plans to impose corrective measures, saying Daehan Museum violated the Building Act. Under the Building Act, museums must be classified as "cultural and assembly facilities," but the Daehan Museum building is registered as a Class 2 neighborhood living facility, meaning exhibitions cannot be held there, according to the district.
An Eunpyeong District official said, "It appears the existing building was remodeled without separately notifying an administrative agency," adding, "If Daehan Museum does not comply with the corrective measures, we will impose a compulsory performance fine."