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MMCA pulls souvenirs featuring Lee Jung-seob painting long ruled a fake

Published: 09 Jun. 2025, 10:41

Pictured is ″Children,″ a painting ruled a forgery by the Supreme Court in 2017. In addition to scientific, expert and documentary analysis by prosecutors, critics pointed out that the late artist Lee Jung-seob typically did not depict hair when drawing children and favored bolder lines — factors that further supported the forgery claim. [JOONGANG ILBO]

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) has halted the sale of souvenirs featuring a painting long ruled by courts as a forgery falsely credited to celebrated modern artist Lee Jung-seob.

The gallery only pulled the product four years after its launch following a complaint from the late artist's family. Police are now investigating the merchandise's creator after the family filed a criminal complaint.

Seongnam police have been investigating Yoo, the head of a design company that produced the goods, on suspicion of fraud since last month, authorities confirmed Sunday.

Yoo is accused of knowingly using an image of the painting "Children" — which has been legally recognized as a forgery — to manufacture and sell the goods sold at MMCA museum shops.

The painting had been at the center of a decade-long legal battle. In 2017, the Supreme Court affirmed lower court rulings that concluded the work was fake. Authorities cited scientific analysis, expert testimony and handwriting discrepancies, noting the lack of Lee’s fingerprints and the unnatural layering of his signature.

“Lee Jung-seob is widely known for the strength in his stroke, but this painting lacks the basic fundamentals of brush movement,” an expert consulted by investigators remarked.

The "Children" badge, center, sold from October 2020 until March of this year at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s Deoksugung and Seoul branches in Anguk-dong, Jongno District, central Seoul. The design was based on "Children," a painting that was ruled a forgery by the Supreme Court after a decade-long legal battle beginning in 2007. The photo was provided to the JoongAng Ilbo by Lee Ji-yeon, a descendant of the late artist Lee Jung-seob. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Despite this, MMCA began selling products featuring the image in October 2020. The museum only ceased sales in March this year, four years later, after Lee’s descendants again raised concerns.

Lee’s family claims Yoo’s company knowingly misled consumers. The company allegedly printed Lee’s real signature on the merchandise and included a lengthy biographical description of the artist on the packaging, despite the legal conclusion regarding the painting's authenticity.

The family argues this amounts to “willful negligence,” claiming Yoo committed fraud while knowing it was a likely outcome.

Yoo, responding via email to the JoongAng Ilbo, said they first learned about the forgery ruling in July 2022.

Yoo said they received the image from an acquaintance and believed it was legitimate because it had "appeared in a catalog."

“If it were a forgery, it wouldn’t have been published in the catalog at all, or would have been removed later,” Yoo wrote. “I had no reason to suspect [it was fake].”

The back of the "Children" badge includes text about the late artist Lee Jung-seob. His family argues that such details were used to deliberately mislead consumers, claiming the badge’s creator committed fraud. The photo was provided to the JoongAng Ilbo by Lee Ji-yeon, a descendant of the late artist Lee Jung-seob. [JOONGANG ILBO]

MMCA’s product planning team apparently had no knowledge of the court ruling when they approved the product line.

According to the artist’s family, they discovered the product at the Deoksugung branch of the museum in September 2023 and voiced concerns to staff. However, due to a failure in reporting the complaint, the items continued to be sold.

Earlier this year, during a visit to the MMCA’s Seoul branch, the family found the same items still available, with some changes to the packaging.

After they lodged a second complaint, the museum’s foundation overseeing operations decided to pull all products made by Yoo’s company, including 10 designs in total.

Roughly 400 units of the problematic product had been sold across the museum’s Deoksugung, Seoul and Cheongju branches over four years, generating approximately 5.06 million won ($3,700).

An MMCA spokesperson said, “We have suspended not only the products featuring 'Children,' but all 10 items supplied by the company,” adding that they plan to revise supplier selection guidelines and tighten screening procedures.

The artist’s family said they pursued legal action not only to halt the sales but also to call attention to a broader issue.

“Even decades after Lee’s death, forgeries continue to circulate,” they said.

“If we don’t correct these misrepresentations, the value and skill embedded in his authentic works will be diminished — and the damage to Korea’s art world will be considerable.”

In a related case last year, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art removed a painting attributed to Lee titled "Climbing Children" after it, too, was revealed to be a forgery.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM SEONG-JIN [[email protected]]