The Korean War
- 홈
- About Kansong
- Life
- The Korean War
- Lineage and Family Environment
- Grief over National Ruin and Introspection
- Hannamseorim Bookstore and Bukdanjang Art Institute
- Bohwagak Art Museum and Passionate Collection
- Posung Middle School and Hunminjeongeum
- The Korean War
- Cultural Properties Committee and the Art & Archaeology Magazine
Following Korea’s independence in 1945, Kansong ceased his acquisition of Korean art and artifacts, reasoning that their ownership was inconsequential as long as they remained in the hands of his fellow countrymen.
On October 18, 1945, Kansong briefly ventured into school administration. This transition was precipitated by Lee Heongu, the eleventh principal of Posung Middle School since the Dongseong School Foundation’s inception, who steadfastly declined to retain his position, asserting that the new era demanded fresh leadership. Kansong promptly invited Seo Weonchul (1899-1965) to assume the role of vice-principal and restructured Posung Middle School into an 18-class, 6-year institution, seeking accreditation as a senior secondary school under the US Army Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK) education law. He secured this accreditation on September 2, 1946, and on September 11, transferred the school’s leadership—the sole public office Kansong ever held—to Seo Weonchul.
On June 23, 1948, the year of the Republic of Korea’s establishment, Kansong welcomed his fourth daughter, Changu, at the age of 43. He cherished this youngest child, often cradling her in his arms.
The outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 ushered in a tragic era of fratricide born of ideological conflict. With the intervention of UN forces led by the US and the Chinese Communist Army, the entire nation became a battlefield. Amid fierce combat, Seoul changed hands twice, resulting in damage to numerous Korean cultural properties that surpassed even the destruction wrought during 36 years of Japanese colonial rule.
Bohwagak was not spared. During the North Korean People’s Army’s occupation of Seoul, Bukdanjang was requisitioned by a cavalry unit, decimating its renowned garden. As the tide of war turned against North Korea, Bohwagak’s precious collection was hastily packaged for northern transport. The finest cultural properties of Korea, meticulously collected, restored, and preserved by Kansong in paulownia boxes at great expense of time and resources, faced imminent peril. Removed from their protective casings, they were carelessly stacked and nailed into large crates. This repackaging was overseen by Son Jaehyeong (1901-1981, pen name Sojeon) and Choe Sunu (1916-1984, pen name Hyegok), who later became a National Assemblyman and Director of the National Museum of Korea, respectively. Through their cunning, Bohwagak’s treasures evaded northern relocation.
On October 18, 1945, Kansong briefly ventured into school administration. This transition was precipitated by Lee Heongu, the eleventh principal of Posung Middle School since the Dongseong School Foundation’s inception, who steadfastly declined to retain his position, asserting that the new era demanded fresh leadership. Kansong promptly invited Seo Weonchul (1899-1965) to assume the role of vice-principal and restructured Posung Middle School into an 18-class, 6-year institution, seeking accreditation as a senior secondary school under the US Army Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK) education law. He secured this accreditation on September 2, 1946, and on September 11, transferred the school’s leadership—the sole public office Kansong ever held—to Seo Weonchul.
On June 23, 1948, the year of the Republic of Korea’s establishment, Kansong welcomed his fourth daughter, Changu, at the age of 43. He cherished this youngest child, often cradling her in his arms.
The outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 ushered in a tragic era of fratricide born of ideological conflict. With the intervention of UN forces led by the US and the Chinese Communist Army, the entire nation became a battlefield. Amid fierce combat, Seoul changed hands twice, resulting in damage to numerous Korean cultural properties that surpassed even the destruction wrought during 36 years of Japanese colonial rule.
Bohwagak was not spared. During the North Korean People’s Army’s occupation of Seoul, Bukdanjang was requisitioned by a cavalry unit, decimating its renowned garden. As the tide of war turned against North Korea, Bohwagak’s precious collection was hastily packaged for northern transport. The finest cultural properties of Korea, meticulously collected, restored, and preserved by Kansong in paulownia boxes at great expense of time and resources, faced imminent peril. Removed from their protective casings, they were carelessly stacked and nailed into large crates. This repackaging was overseen by Son Jaehyeong (1901-1981, pen name Sojeon) and Choe Sunu (1916-1984, pen name Hyegok), who later became a National Assemblyman and Director of the National Museum of Korea, respectively. Through their cunning, Bohwagak’s treasures evaded northern relocation.
The entry of the Chinese Communist Army into the conflict led to Seoul’s recapture on January 4, 1951. Kansong fled to Busan with the hastily packaged artworks and artifacts. These priceless cultural properties, representing only a fraction of the Bohwagak collection, were transported by train under US Military Police escort and stored in Villa Gajama in Yeongjudong, a property rented by Dr. Kim Seunghyeon and overseen by Gyeongu, Kansong’s second son. Following Seoul’s reclamation by South Korean forces, a concerned Kansong repatriated the Bohwagak collection to Seoul in October 1953. Mere days later, Villa Gajama was consumed by fire. Once again, the Bohwagak treasures narrowly escaped total annihilation, preserved by Kansong, the providential guardian of Korea’s cultural legacy.
Kansong managed to salvage only the most significant pieces, including masterworks of painting and calligraphy by Chusa, Gyeomjae, Danwon, and Hyewon, along with Goryeo celadon and Joseon white porcelain. The majority of Chinese paintings and ceramics, as well as numerous other paintings, calligraphic works, and millions of ancient texts remained in the hanok building utilized as a wood-framing station, falling victim to the war’s devastation.
Some pieces left behind had already reached Busan upon Kansong’s arrival, hinting at the fate that had befallen the Bohwagak treasures. After enduring three years as a refugee in Park Gijung’s Ulsan residence, Kansong returned to Seoul in 1953, only to confront a scene of utter desolation. Much of his painstaking effort and considerable wealth invested in acquiring these magnificent cultural properties had come to naught. To Kansong’s profound anguish, many rare artworks and artifacts had been callously burned as fuel or repurposed as window paper or wallpaper.
Yet, Kansong’s magnanimous spirit prevailed. He steeled himself, accepting the Bohwagak collection’s fate as intertwined with that of the nation. With unwavering resolve, he committed himself to a fresh start, embarking on a mission to reacquire pieces that had been wrested from his collection.
Kansong managed to salvage only the most significant pieces, including masterworks of painting and calligraphy by Chusa, Gyeomjae, Danwon, and Hyewon, along with Goryeo celadon and Joseon white porcelain. The majority of Chinese paintings and ceramics, as well as numerous other paintings, calligraphic works, and millions of ancient texts remained in the hanok building utilized as a wood-framing station, falling victim to the war’s devastation.
Some pieces left behind had already reached Busan upon Kansong’s arrival, hinting at the fate that had befallen the Bohwagak treasures. After enduring three years as a refugee in Park Gijung’s Ulsan residence, Kansong returned to Seoul in 1953, only to confront a scene of utter desolation. Much of his painstaking effort and considerable wealth invested in acquiring these magnificent cultural properties had come to naught. To Kansong’s profound anguish, many rare artworks and artifacts had been callously burned as fuel or repurposed as window paper or wallpaper.
Yet, Kansong’s magnanimous spirit prevailed. He steeled himself, accepting the Bohwagak collection’s fate as intertwined with that of the nation. With unwavering resolve, he committed himself to a fresh start, embarking on a mission to reacquire pieces that had been wrested from his collection.