Revisiting Art: Marking 140 Years of Korea-France Diplomatic Relations

In a photograph taken in Paris in 1893, a man appears wearing traditional Korean attire. He wears a jeongja-gwan, a traditional Joseon-era hat, and holds white gloves in his hands — a striking sight. The name of this extraordinary figure who appeared in 19th-century Paris dressed in hanbok is Hong Jong-u. At the time the photograph was taken, he was working at France's national museum of Asian art. The museum, also known as the Musée Guimet after its founder Émile Guimet, is still regarded as Europe's foremost museum specializing in Asian art. Hong was hired there in 1892 under the title of "foreign assistant" and carried out preparatory work for the museum's Korean gallery, which opened in 1893. His duties were to compile catalogs and descriptions of Korean-related exhibition artifacts and to install them in the exhibition space. He was, in effect, the first Korean museum professional and curator.

The opening of the Guimet Museum's Korean gallery in 1893 signified the beginning of cultural exchange between Korea and France, and also holds the distinction of being the first Korean cultural exhibition space in an overseas museum. It carries special significance in museological terms, as a space for collecting and exhibiting traditional Korean artifacts was established abroad before the history of domestic museums in Korea had even begun. Hong Jong-u, who arrived in France in December 1890 and stayed in Paris for approximately two years and seven months, engaged in a wide range of activities during his time there. He carried portraits of King Gojong and the Daewongun and made efforts to inform prominent French figures of Korea's political situation. At a dinner hosted by the French daily Le Figaro, he delivered a speech explaining the origins of the name Joseon and Korea's history. He also participated in translating and publishing Chunhyangjeon and Simcheongjeon into French in collaboration with Henri Rosny.

The painter Félix Régamey, who was Hong Jong-u's only friend, recorded that when he first met Hong, he felt the awe and terror one might sense from a wild beast. Whether it was an artist's intuition proving right, Régamey would learn of Hong's final news through a newspaper article after Hong left Paris. An article published in London's China Telegraphy on May 21, 1894: "Murderer Hong Jong-u, transported to Joseon along with the remains of Kim Ok-gyun." In extraordinary times, an extraordinary encounter of extraordinary figures indeed.