First Nationwide Calligraphy Museum Opens Inside Suwon History Museum

The Suwon History Museum (1088-10 Uiyeong-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu), currently under construction with a target completion date of October, will be home to the nation's first specialized calligraphy museum.

The Suwon History Museum will display 5,756 pieces including representative calligraphy works and artifacts donated by Geunhdan (槿堂) Yang Taek-dong (55), as well as approximately 20,000 items including materials from the Japanese colonial period, historical documents, and photographic records donated by the family of the late Saun (史芸) Yi Jong-hak (former director of the Dokdo Museum).

Notably, the nation's first calligraphy museum will showcase 1,000 works by representative calligraphers from the Joseon middle period to the present, including handwritten works by King Jeongjo, Dasan Jeong Yak-yong, Uam Song Si-yeol, Toegye Yi Hwang, and Park Mun-su, famous for his role as a secret royal inspector. This is expected to provide significant historical and cultural value.

Moreover, the calligraphy museum will operate as a specialized museum focused on collecting, researching, educating, and exhibiting calligraphy and painting works and related materials from ancient times to the present. It will systematically organize and present domestic calligraphy materials through exhibition planning, and plans to display calligraphy and painting works from Northeast Asia, including Korea.

The exhibition halls will be divided into five sections representing different historical periods: prehistoric, Three Kingdoms, Joseon, Japanese colonial, and modern eras. Planned special exhibitions include "Joseon Masters," "Paintings from the True-view Landscape Period," "Late Joseon Scholars," "Modern Figures of the Open Port Period," "Joseon Calligraphic Styles," "Patriotic Activists' Brushwork," and "Buddhist Monks' Brushwork."

In this regard, Kim Jeong-su, director of the Culture and Tourism Division at City Hall, stated, "As this is the nation's first specialized calligraphy museum, we will manage it efficiently to enhance cultural pride as a cultural city" and "We plan to make the history museum not only a cultural space and experiential learning venue for citizens, but also to develop it as a tourism resource linked with Suwon Hwaseong Fortress."

Meanwhile, the city has decided to provisionally use the name "Suwon History Museum" to collectively refer to the calligraphy museum, history museum, and Saun Archives until each museum is completed and registered with relevant organizations.