COMPETITION TO TAKE OVER LEE'S DONATIONS

[Anchor Lead]

The late Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee’s family recently donated some 23,000 pieces of art to society. Around ten local government are fighting to bring the so-called Lee Kun-hee collection to their own community.

[Pkg]

National Treasure Number 216 “Inwangjesaekdo” by famed Joseon-era painter Jeong Seon. “Chuseongbudo” or “The Sound of Autumn,” the last work of the acclaimed Kim Hong-do. And “Ox” by contemporary artist Lee Jung-seob. The Samsung family has donated roughly 23,000 pieces of art. The collection is so vast that there isn’t enough space even at the National Museum of Korea to store all the pieces. Some local governments have been calling for the donated artworks to be displayed together, fueling the competition to bring the so-called Lee Kun-hee collection to their region. The city of Busan is poised to launch a civilian committee to open a museum exclusively for the collection.

[Soundbite] Park Heong-joon(Busan Mayor(May 13)) : "If the world-class Lee Kun-hee Museum comes to Busan, it would have a tremendous synergy effect."

Ten other local governments joined the competition, including Uiryeong in Gyeongsangnam-do Province, Suwon in Gyeonggi-do Province as well as major cities like Seoul, Daejeon, Daegu, Gwangju, and Sejong.

[Soundbite] Park Do-hyeon(Daejeon City Gov’t) : "Daejeon has steadily worked with the culture ministry to open a national museum. The Lee Kun-hee collection would be a part of that effort."

Voices of concern, though, have been mounting over the excessively intense competition.

[Soundbite] Byun Sang-hyung(Director, Lifelong Education Center, Hannam Univ.) : "I think the basic intent of art is being misled. I wonder what the people trying to open a museum are trying to do."

The culture ministry had announced that the Lee Kun-hee collection would be displayed at one location on the first anniversary of the donation around next April. Eyes are on which city would get the honor of housing the national treasures and world-class artworks.