한국전쟁 시기 문화재 피난사

Abstract

This paper introduces the remarkable story of how the treasures of Korean art were successfully evacuated from the National Museum in the midst of the Korean War. The year was in 1950, just after the UN Allied forces recaptured Seoul on September 28, the prized collection of the National Museum of Korea was in grave danger of being seized already during occupation for three months and taken to the North. Hence, Dr. Chewon Kim, then the director of the museum, determined that the treasures must be moved to a safer place should the war situation gets any worse. Upon learning that the Chinese army had joined the North Korean troops crossing the Yalu River in late October, Director Kim mounted a great effort to move the treasures. By early December, a full month before the Korean government officially moved to Busan on Jan. 4, 1951, he successfully transported the museum's holdings to Busan. His desperate endeavor to transport the treasures to safety was made possible by the help of retired US Army Captain Eugene Knez, then the head of the USIS(US Information Service). Captain Knez played a key role in mobilizing US Embassy truck and train that had been earmarked for military purpose. The detailed process of the evacuatin plan and the problems arising should the war situation goes worse was known through the declassified documents of the U.S. government released by the National Archives and Records Administration. Hense the letters or telegrams exchanged between the State Department, the Allied Forces in Japan, American Embassy and USIS in Busan and Dr. Chewon Kim of the National Museum were known to inform us the delicate situation arose conscerning the protection of Korean treasures during late 1950 to early 1951. There was even a contingency plan to evacuate the art objects overseas, to either Japan orthe US. However, Korean President Syngman Rhee refused to consider Japan as a possible location for evacuation. Meanwhile, although the Honolulu Academy of Art in Hawaii offered a sanctuary for the Korean art, the American government hesitated to take stewardship of the art, under the pretense that the UN Allied Forces were technically in command of the situation. Fortunately, beginning in the spring of 1951, the tides of war turned favorably for the South Korean side, so the art treasures remained safely in Busan, until they were all returned to Seoul almost a decade later. The Korean case demonstrates that prompt and proper decision-making by the museum personnel, as well as close cooperation between the concerned national or military authorities, are crucial for the protection of cultural treasures during armed conflicts and political crises.