"Feast for the Pyongyang Governor" by Kim Hong-do, a renowned painter from the 18th century Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) / Courtesy of National Museum of Korea





Egyptian treasures to highlight this year's line-up





Kim Young-na, director-general

of the National Museum of Korea

By Baek Byung-yeul

The state-run National Museum of Korea (NMK) will start the year with a special exhibition featuring artifacts restored by modern conservation science.

At a Tuesday press conference in Seoul, NMK Director General Kim Young-na introduced the museum's 2016 plans, ranging from special exhibitions to themed exhibitions.

"We had only one specialist in conservation science in the 1980s, but now we have about 30," Kim said.

As this year is the 40th anniversary of the museum building its conservation science facilities and adopting modern scientific methods to protect and maintain artifacts, some 500 artifacts will be displayed until March 8. An array of photographs and documents outlining conservation science techniques and processes will also be open to the public.





"White Porcelain Moon Jar," National Treasure No. 262, will be displayed at the Grand Palais of France from April 27 to June 20 and Russia's the State Hermitage Museum from July 29 to Nov. 6.



Another highlight of this year's NMK exhibitions will be artworks from the late 17th century Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). The special exhibition, from Sept. 27 to Nov. 20 and tentatively titled "City and Art: From Late Joseon to Modern Times," will feature some 200 pieces themed on Joseon urban life.

To greet this year's Buddha's Birthday, on May 14, a large painting depicting Sakyamuni's sermon will be displayed for 26 weeks, from May 10 to Nov. 6.

The piece, "Hanging Painting of Bukjangsa Temple," has been stored at Bukjangsa Temple in North Gyeongsang Province since monk painter Hakneung created it in 1688. It was hung from atop a temple during outdoor special events and ceremonies. The 8.1-by-13.2-meter painting is designated as Cultural Treasure No. 1,278.





"Mummy Mask of a Man," an early 1st century gilded mummy mask, will be displayed at the special exhibition "Egyptian Treasures: To Live Forever."



Some 350 ceramic works excavated from a shipwreck off Sinan's coast will be displayed from July 26 to Oct. 9, marking the 40th anniversary of the ship's discovery in South Jeolla Province waters.

According to records, a Chinese trading vessel carrying more than 30,000 artifacts, including over 20,000 ceramic pieces, sank off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula in 1323, on its way to Hakata, Japan, from Ningbo, China. Fishermen discovered the shipwreck in 1975 and the site was excavated 11 times between 1976 and 1984.

At the end of this year, Egyptian mummies and coffins will be displayed with the title "Egyptian Treasures: To Live Forever."

"This will probably be the most anticipated exhibition of the NMK this year," the director general said. The exhibition will feature some 230 artifacts on loan from the Brooklyn Museum's Egyptian collection.





Sarira Reliquary in Gameunsa Temple in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province

/ Courtesy of National Museum of Korea



"I heard that the Brooklyn Museum is planning to remodel its Korean exhibition hall by 2018," she said, "so I contacted the museum and succeeded in bringing the collections to Korea."

An exhibition introducing the culture and history of Afghanistan will also be displayed at this year's end, she said. "In cooperation with the National Museum of Afghanistan, we plan on displaying golden crowns discovered at Tillya Tepe (the hill of gold)," she said.

Following last year's remodeling of the museum's Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) exhibition hall, the NMK director said the Joseon Kingdom exhibition hall will also be renovated with LED lighting and video screens to help audiences better appreciate the neo-Confucian dynasty.

Kim said her New Year's resolution is to place the NMK among the world's top 10 museums.

"In the past, I was often asked which foreign museum we were modeled after, but this question no longer applies now as we are already way beyond that level," she said. "Now, several museums from Asian countries such as Indonesia, China and Vietnam visit us for benchmarking. Considering Korea's economic scale, it is time the NMK be included among the world's best 10 museums."