• MISULJARYO - National Museum of Korea Art Journal
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• v.101
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• pp.66-86
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• 2022

This paper focuses on the document "Property Ledger of Dr. Rhee," which was a supplement to the Disposal of the Late Dr. Rhee's Property written by the secretarial office of the Cheongwadae (the Korean presidential residence) in 1970. The document contains a list of 311 items, including furnishings and artworks, once owned by President Syngman Rhee. The items had been in the collection of the Cheongwadae, but in February 1970 they were transferred to the family of the late President Rhee. The background for creating this list is as follows. After the April 19 Student Revolution in 1960, a survey was conducted of Rhee's movable assets, including artworks in his private residence Ihwajang. Their transfer to the National Museum was discussed at one point, but it was decided to use them at the Cheongwadae instead. In 1963, however, the transfer of these assets to the National Museum was ordered, and some duplications of the private possessions were sent to Ihwajang House. In 1970, furnishings and artworks stored at the Cheongwadae were also returned to Ihwajang House, and the "Property Ledger of Dr. Rhee" document was produced. This ledger lists works by artists from the Joseon period through the 1960s. It is difficult to identify each of these artworks since no photos are attached and the details provided are minimal. Nevertheless, this ledger is valuable in that the scale of artworks in the collection of the Gyeongmudae (the former name for the Cheongwadae) and Ihwajang House can be partially identified and in that it helps us understand how the issues surrounding the reversion of ownership of these artworks were resolved.