The death of the late Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee in October 2020, at 78. This saw his heirs donate 23,000 pieces of art and antiquities to seven South Koren museums. It has set off a series of exhibitions of the trove in Seoul and elsewhere in the country that has drawn vast crowds.
According to Lee Dangkweon, the director of the cultural infrastructure from the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism “the donation has shined a bright light on culture”. The difficulty lies in the selection of a location for the physical infrastructure to house the artworks, which has been made difficult by numerous districts making cases based on loosely structured connections to Samsung’s inception and history. Lee acknowledges the competing views for the museum, but said of the ministry’s approach, “the ultimate goal is for more people to enjoy the collection.”
As of now, the most promising candidate for the museum is in northern Seoul. A meticulous reconstruction undertaken in recent decades now includes the National Palace Museum and the National Folk Museum. Looming behind it is a sizable traditional Korean-style building with dark teal roof tiles, part of Cheong Wa Dae, also known as the Blue House. Now, with the new president Yoon Suk-yeol choosing to set up operations elsewhere, this location of historical significance will soon be joined by one more: a museum for more than 20,000 artworks and antiquities from the collection of the late Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee.
One must also understand Samsung’s role in the history of South Korea. From a humble beginning as traders of fish to a multinational mammoth in electronics, insurance to shipbuilding and hotels. Samsung is said to contribute at least 20% of the nation’s GDP, and when we couple it with the governance of the Samsung Group being a familial affair, access to this sizeable art collection helps us understand the life of the South Korean elites as well.
Today, there exist two impressive museums responsible for safeguarding artworks from throughout the ages, and run by the Samsung Foundation of Culture; then there is privately owned art, cloaked in darkness, purchased by Lee and his wife Hong Ra-hee, and other family members.
In the end, representation of the huge historical fingerprint of this art collection remains a top priority for South Korean officials, because the nature of such art is to be enjoyed by the people at the end of the day.