National Palace Museum of Korea showcases diplomats in gat

Korean Heritage

Published: 16 Oct. 2022, 14:45

National Palace Museum of Korea showcases diplomats in gat

A photograph of Pak Chung-yang, third from left, and his entourage at the First Korean Legation known as Fisher House in Washington D.C. in 1888. [NATIONAL PALACE MUSEUM OF KOREA]

In May 1882, Korea signed the Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commerce and Navigation, also known as the Shufeldt Treaty, with the United States. It was Korea’s first treaty with a western nation. The following year, King Gojong sent Korea’s first official diplomatic delegations to the U.S., which included Min Yong-ik, who was a nephew of Queen Myeongseong.

Upon their arrival, then-president Chester Aurthur greeted them in New York for a ceremony in a parlor of the Fifth Avenue Hotel. Harper’s Weekly reported the event in its Sept. 29, 1883 edition. The news article described Min as a “noble of the highest rank” and a “relative of the Queen of Corea.”

The reporter took time to describe Min’s traditional outfit in the article. It states that he was “dressed, as were his companions, in his richest robes of slate. A loose garment of flowered plum-colored silk showed through its openings a snow-white tunic, also silken. The whole was belted in with a broad band covered with curiously wrought plates of gold [...] On his head he wore his hat of ceremony a singular structure of silk, bamboo, and horse-hair, which, according to Corean customs, it is indispensable to wear upon all official occasions.”

Since this was before the hit Netflix series “Kingdom” (2019-) that brought the traditional hat of the Joseon era (1392-1910) known as gat to the public's attention, the hat would have looked very exotic to the American reporter’s eye.

To mark the 140 years of diplomatic relations between Korea and the United States, the National Palace Museum of Korea in central Seoul has organized a special exhibit, “Diplomats in Gat: The Story of the Joseon Legation in Washington D.C.”

The exhibit introduces Korea’s first minister plenipotentiary to the U.S. named Pak Chung-yang (1841–1905) and his early diplomatic activities. The exhibit displays an array of historical documents recorded by Joseon’s diplomats in the U.S., what kind of work they did and even personal records of how they felt about the country.

Yim Ji-yun, the curator of the exhibit, said she wanted to shed light on a set of important documents left by Yi Sang-jae (1850–1927), a secretary with the first Korean legation in the U.S. Yim said that it’s the first time for the public to view the documents since it was been designated as state-registered cultural heritage early this year.

A collection of letters written in 1888 to and from Yi Sang-jae, a secretary to the first Korean legation in the U.S, and his family members. [NATIONAL PALACE MUSEUM OF KOREA]

The archival records left by Yi consist of two different collections of materials. One is documents related to diplomatic affairs that Yi compiled while working as a secretary with the first legation in the U.S. and the other is a collection of letters from Yi to his family.

Two of the documents are on display on a desk inside a glass showcase side by side.

“One is an official document and the other is quite personal being it a letter to his family, but it still talks about his life in the U.S. and we thought it was meaningful to have it side by side and allow visitors to understand deeper, what it would’ve been like to work in a foreign land as a diplomat during that time,” said Yim.

There are various photographs and news articles that document different diplomatic activities by Korea.

There is also a special section for visitors to take pictures. The space is designed to look like the central office and the reception room of the first Korean legation building, known as the Fisher House, in Washington D.C. The Korean delegation worked in this building for about 13 months from January 1888 to February 1989. In this space, visitors can also enjoy a video clip that tells the story of Pak and his entourage as they struggled to perform independent diplomacy over the course of a year.

The U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg tours the National Palace Museum's special exhibit "Diplomats in Gat: The Story of the Joseon Legation in Washington D.C." on Thursday during its pre-opening. [CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION]

“We hope that this exhibit can offer visitors an opportunity to learn about and appreciate the struggles experienced by minister plenipotentiary Pak and his entourage, including Yi, during their diplomatic efforts in a period when Korea was attempting to depart from diplomatic isolation and advance as a modern state,” said Kim In-kyu, director of the museum.

The exhibit runs until Dec. 13.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]