National Museum of Korea staffer shares what it's like to live in the past

Korean Heritage

Published: 18 Mar. 2024, 17:50

National Museum of Korea staffer shares what it's like to live in the past

Lee Hyun-ju, the public relations specialist for the National Museum of Korea, has been working for the museum for 33 years. She picked the Donated Collection Gallery as her favorite place to be at the museum. [CHOI GI-UNG]

In “All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me,” museum guard Patrick Bringley shares fascinating, personal stories about one of the world’s most famous treasure houses that can only be told by someone with unrestricted access to every nook and cranny.

The book was an overall bestseller in February, according to Kyobo Book.

Bringley, a former staffer at The New Yorker, quit his job after finding out that his brother has fatal cancer and sought solace in the most beautiful place he knew — the "Met." A decade at the museum helped him regain the perspective, courage and gratitude to be able to return back to the world outside.

One of the most engaging aspects of the book is being able to follow Bringley around as he guards delicate treasures from around the world and explores the secretive labyrinths beneath the exhibition halls where there are even more beautiful works that are off public view.

It begs the question of how it would feel when your workplace happens to be the most beautiful place that you know of, full of delicate treasures from hundreds and thousands of years ago each with fascinating secrets yet to be completely unveiled. To get to the bottom of this, the JoongAng Sunday, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, met with Lee Hyun-ju, the public relations specialist for the National Museum of Korea who has worked there for 33 years — longer than any other official or curator there.

“I remember in 2005 when the museum moved to Yongsan, its current location, and when the Ten-story Stone Pagoda of Gyeongcheonsa Temple was installed at the Path to History, as the first ancient art to be placed here,” Lee said. “I also remember when Uigwe [books that detail the protocols for Joseon Dynasty royal ceremonies] were returned in 2011, 145 years after [they were looted by French soldiers], and taken to the museum's storage.”

She was also behind the museum’s publicity projects aimed at bringing the museum closer to the public, like actor Bae Yong Joon writing a book on Korean treasures “A Journey in Search of Korea’s Beauty” and BTS’s “Dear Class of 2020,” a virtual commencement “ceremony” held on YouTube to congratulate the year's graduates.

Below are excerpts from the JoongAng Sunday’s recent interview with Lee, edited for length and clarity.

Q. How did you get to work in the museum?

A. I originally wanted to write poems or novels. So I was in the literary club in high school and majored in Korean literature at college. I joined the museum in a role for publishing museum newspapers. But I came to really love the museum and wanted to pursue a more specialized role there. So I got a master’s degree in public relations and was assigned to the public relations officer’s role when the museum moved to Yongsan, its current location, in 2005.

You held an exhibition of your photographs and also published books with them. How did you get into photography?

I bought a camera when I gave birth in 1999 because I wanted to keep a parenting journal. But whenever I came to work at the museum, I also wanted to take photos of the museum’s gardens as they were so beautiful. Personally I find it healing to be in nature. Even when I go to galleries to seek solace, I usually gaze at art that depicts nature. My role is basically connecting academic curators with management officials, and it can feel lonely — like an island. So whenever I felt stressed, I went out to the museum’s gardens and took photos of flowers. Soon, it became a morning routine to post on social media a photo of a flower from a day before along with a positive affirmation phrase. More and more people followed my account. It was the followers that invited me to their gallery to hold an exhibition and connected me to publishers to publish books. [Lee has two published books: “Light, Flower, Wind and Color in the Museum: Let Your Light Shine” and “Walk into the Hidden Story: A Museum to Appreciate, Relax and Cherish.”] And yes, I take photos of art and antiquities too, like for instance the back of a Buddhist statue, as most people don’t see it from the back.

Where is your favorite place in the museum?

I like the recently-renovated Donated Collection I Gallery. It’s a nice place for visitors seeking repose. The walls are filled with donated art, and there is a table and a couch with a motif of a piece of art by Kim Sun Hyung, my favorite artist. You can also see videos of the donors, and I know many of them personally, though we first met in a professional capacity. It’s heartwarming to ponder their unconditional support. In the inner part of the gallery, there is a place decorated as sarangbang [men’s study and guest room], and I particularly like sarangbang.

Many people are fascinated by how museum personnel get to roam freely around the museum when it’s closed to the public. What is it like?

The antiquities at the museum are really old and survived the test of time. So I do feel that each item has some kind of a soul. When the museum is empty with no visitors, the spiritual side of the relics can feel stronger. Compared to them, I’ve only lived a decade. So sometimes I do feel like they are giving me encouragement, like ‘You are doing good. Don’t doubt yourself. Walk your own path.’ But at times it does feel a little spooky.

Is it true that museums can sometimes be associated with ghost stories?

Yes. But there haven't been any since we moved to Yongsan (laughs). But when the museum was at a previous location at the site of the former Joseon Government-General building [from 1986-1996], museum guards kept saying they saw ghosts on the first floor. It got to the point where they had to hold a shamanist ritual.

How has working at the museum affected your life?

I think all cultural content has roots in the museum. Although I didn’t become a poet or writer like I dreamed of as a child, I do at times resort to artistic and creative thinking even in public relations. So that’s fulfilling. I’m also introverted, but the job made me more outgoing. I feel charged from this place and the work I do here. The time I spent here surpasses the time I wasn’t here in my life. It’s my home away from home.

Lee's top five must-see items

The ″Room of Quiet Contemplation″ displays two of Korea's beloved national treasures: Maitreyas in meditation [KWEN HYEK-JAE]

1. Pensive Bodhisattva

The Room of Quiet Contemplation on the second floor is a place where you can appreciate two Pensive Bodhisattvas, both National Treasures, at once. One was made in the late sixth century and the other in the early seventh century, during Korea’s Three Kingdoms Period (57 B.C. - A.D. 668). The layout is designed so that you walk slowly through the dark and quiet corridor. Before we made the Room of Quiet Contemplation, it was rare for the two to be exhibited together. There were only three instances — in 1986, 2004 and 2015. I vividly recall the year 2004 — a year before we moved to Yongsan — we had moved all the art from the Buddhist Art Gallery except these two Pensive Bodhisattvas. I went to the gallery many times to see these two. There wasn't any special lighting, but I felt a very special ambience. It’s a privilege that now we can enjoy these two any time we want. I think everyone’s concerns are laid bare in this space that transcends time and space. The statues are pensive, so everyone who comes here gets that way too. They become reticent and focus on what’s on their minds.

Cottage among Plum Blossoms by Jeon Gi (1825-1854) [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA]

2. Cottage among Plum Blossoms by Jeon Gi (1825-1854)

This was a donation from Lee Hong-kun. Before Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s donation [in 2021], Lee Hong-kun was the biggest donor to the National Museum of Korea. There are anecdotes about how he would buy meals for museum officials who came to his property to pack the art he was donating. There was an exhibition in remembrance of him in 2021, and this painting was exhibited. I made sure I stopped by the gallery to see this painting when I was on my way to and from the office to the museum galleries. The painter Jeon Gi was a merchant who sold medicinal herbs who was also a connoisseur and trader of art. He is known to have passed away at the early age of 30, and I wonder what other masterpieces he would’ve produced if he had lived longer. Initially I thought the white dots were snow. Only later did I learn that they were plum blossoms, and that’s when I really fell in love. I recently changed my computer background to this painting, as I await the plum blossoms of spring.

Celadon Incense Burner with Lion Cover [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA]

3. Celadon Incense Burner with Lion Cover

Some people exude beauty from the back too. I think this piece is that case. The tail is flat, but on it you see a mix of delightful, delicate patterns. The tail is big enough to cover the lion’s entire back, all the way up to its neck. I think the tail is the jewel of this piece. The tail and the floppy ears make it so adorable. But in the front, you see somewhat angry-looking eyes and a snub nose and mouth with sharp teeth that are carved out so that the incense can seep through. So the front is an about-face from the back.

Buncheong Bottle with Lotus and Fish Design in Underglaze Iron Brown [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA]

4. Buncheong Bottle with Lotus and Fish Design in Underglaze Iron Brown

Buncheong sagi, or buncheong ware, existed between the transitional period going from Goryeo celadon to Joseon porcelain. They’re not as famous or as graceful as the blue-green celadon from Goryeo (918-1392) or the milky-white porcelain from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). But I like the simple and natural qualities of buncheong. In fact, they seem modern and sophisticated to me. The fish drawn on this piece is a masterpiece. The fish here are similar but not the same.

Buddhist Hanging Scroll [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA]

5. Buddhist Hanging Scroll

Every year for Buddha’s birthday, a massive Buddhist Hanging Scroll is hung at the Buddhist Painting Gallery. Curators would lay a paper on the floor and then spread the scroll out to examine the condition of the relic. Seeing them do this, kneeled down, exudes a feeling of piety. People say that prayers to the Buddhist hanging scrolls are usually answered and prayers for others are usually the ones that are sure to get answered. When we don’t hang this scroll, we display a digital version of three different scrolls instead. I particularly like the 1750 scroll from Eunhae Temple in Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang. Around Buddha, you see peony and lotus making a splendid scenery. It’s pure land full of beautiful flowers and sounds of birds, joy and fascination.

BY MOON SO-YOUNG [moon.soyoung@joongang.co.kr]