Chief of national museum apologizes over wrongful attribution of item on display

The director of the National Museum of Korea issued a formal apology Monday after a calligraphic work from his private collection was found to have been wrongfully attributed and put on display at the museum. Speaking during an annual parliamentary audit of the museum, You Hong-june bowed his head twice and described the incident as a "grave mistake and oversight." "The deep trust the public has placed in the museum and the value built through the hard work of museum staff have collapsed in an instant due to my grave oversight," You told lawmakers, adding that no academic explanation could serve as an excuse for the public's disappointment. You also apologized to the late Korean independence activist to whom the calligraphy was wrongly attributed and his bereaved family over the verification error. The controversy began in August over a calligraphic work titled "Ilbansigukeun," meaning "even a single bowl of rice is the grace of the nation," which was featured in the museum's ongoing special exhibition, "Our Dining Table." The piece was initially introduced as the work of Korean independe