Living history

Two of the last royal decorative paintings of Korea, “Wonderful Views of Chongseokjeong Pavilion,” top, and “Extraordinary Views of Manmulsang, Geumgangsan Mountain,” above, by renowned painter Haegang Kim Gyu-jin (1868-1933), are disclosed for the first time starting today at the National Palace Museum of Korea, central Seoul. The two murals, both nearly 2 meters (6.5 feet) in height and 9 meters in length, were painted in 1920 to decorate the walls of the newly constructed Huijeongdang Hall in Changdeok Palace, after it burnt down in 1917. According to the Cultural Heritage Administration, the paintings were taken down in 2015 after witnessing deteriorations and went through preservation treatment until the end of last year. Since Huijeongdang Hall has been closed to the public, excluding once when visitors could take a peek inside and look at the paintings from a distance in 2005, it will be the first time that the public will get a closer look at the paintings, 98 years after they were created. The exhibition runs until March 4, and afterward, the paintings will be securely stored in the museum archive. The murals that are currently on the walls of Huijeongdang Hall are replicas. [CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION]