The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs announced Wednesday that the National Museum of the Korean Provisional Government will open a special exhibition titled "Walking the Path of Diplomacy in a Hidden Era," shedding light on the diplomatic activities of the Korean Provisional Government, starting Thursday.
The exhibition, organized in three parts, displays a total of 79 artifacts comprising 101 items related to the Korean Provisional Government's diplomatic activities from 1919 to 1945, along with video and visual materials.
Part 1, "Knocking on the World's Door Through Diplomacy," introduces how the Provisional Government's diplomatic efforts, which began in earnest with the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, continuously raised the issue of independence on the international stage through the establishment of the Korean Delegation Office in Paris, publication of historical records, diplomatic activities surrounding the Washington Conference, and cooperation with China's Constitutional Protection Government.
Part 2, "Carrying On the Pulse of Diplomacy," examines how the Provisional Government, through key documents submitted to international conferences, strove to participate in international forums amid diplomatic isolation — including the establishment of the Koryo News Agency — and continued diplomatic activities in Europe.
Part 3, "Advancing Toward Recognition Diplomacy," covers the recognition diplomacy the Provisional Government pursued with the Allied Powers during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. Visitors can glimpse the Provisional Government's efforts toward international recognition, including its immediate declaration of the principle of prompt independence in response to the Cairo Declaration and its efforts ahead of the San Francisco Conference to publicize its joint resistance alongside the Allied Powers.
The exhibition's epilogue, "The Path of Diplomacy Continues," features video content symbolically showing how the diplomatic path forged by the Provisional Government carries on in the Republic of Korea's diplomacy today.
The opening ceremony was held at 2 p.m. Wednesday. The exhibition is open free of charge from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily except Mondays. It runs through July 19.
"I hope this special exhibition serves as an opportunity to reflect on the fact that the Provisional Government's diplomatic activities and efforts are the starting point and an important historical asset of the Republic of Korea's diplomacy today," Minister Kwon Oh-eul said.