Screen capture of a post on Karrot. (Karrot)
Screen capture of a post on Karrot. (Karrot)

A new museum set to open in Seoul’s Eunpyeong-gu came under fire after advertising itself as the "Korea Museum" despite prominently featuring Chinese artifacts.

The controversy was sparked by a post on Karrot, South Korea’s largest neighborhood-based secondhand marketplace platform, questioning the identity of the museum in Eunpyeong Hanok Village.

“I’m curious about the identity of this new museum in Eunpyeong Hanok Village,” the post read. It included a photo of an outdoor sign listing artifacts scheduled to go on display when the museum opens in May.

According to the sign, the museum’s collection spans Chinese history from prehistoric times through the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, the Warring States period, and the Qin, Han, Tang, Song, Ming and Qing dynasties, up to the early Republic of China era.

The sign added that it would also display some artworks from “other countries,” including Korea and Japan.

The Karrot post called it “suspicious” that the museum listed only Chinese history in detail despite being named the Korea Museum.

Local media reported that the museum removed the sign Monday.

“We were asked to take down the sign on Monday,” a museum official told Chosun Biz. “We are aware of the controversy.”

Kim, a curator at another museum in Seoul, said most of the artifacts shown on the sign appeared to originate from southern China.

“It seems certain they are not of Korean origin,” Kim said.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Eunpyeong-gu Office launched an on-site inspection Tuesday.

The city government asked the Korea Museum to explain its founding purpose. Unlike national and public museums, private museums are not subject to separate registration requirements, making it difficult for authorities to verify the museum’s stated purpose and exhibition plans.

Eunpyeong-gu officials said they plan to impose corrective measures, adding that the museum appears to be in violation of the Building Act.

Under the law, museums must be classified as “cultural and assembly facilities,” but the Korea Museum building is registered as a Type II neighborhood living facility, meaning it is not permitted to be used for exhibitions, according to district officials.

“It appears the existing building was remodeled without separately notifying the relevant administrative authorities,” an Eunpyeong-gu official said. “If the Korea Museum fails to comply with corrective measures, we will impose enforcement fines.”


seungku99@heraldcorp.com