Conservation Science in Korea: History, Choices, and Restored Futures
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
Two simultaneous exhibitions at Seoul’s National Museum of Korea and the National Palace Museum spotlight the history and practice of conservation science (preservation and restoration of cultural artifacts). The National Museum traces the field’s 50-year history since the 1976 founding of an informal ‘conservation lab’ by pioneers like Lee Sang-su, recreating an early conservator’s room and using AI to restore his likeness. The show demonstrates analytical techniques using different light ranges (visible, ultraviolet, infrared, X-ray) and displays CT and 3D-scan-based reconstructions—such as a recreated gilt bronze shoe from the Silla-period Silli tomb—emphasizing a new digital conservation paradigm. The National Palace Museum’s 20th-anniversary special, “RE: BORN,” breaks convention by exhibiting objects still undergoing treatment, revealing conservators’ dilemmas—whether to reuse original cords or replace them to restore original appearance—through case notes on items like a Joseon-era jade ornament (okryeom). It also showcases scientific analyses that identified techniques in recovered Goryeo lacquerware and presents a digitally restored royal portrait (Taejo eojin) reconstructed from historical glass-plate photos and surviving examples. Both shows highlight scientific methods, ethical choices in restoration, and the human care behind preserving Korea’s cultural heritage.
