MUSEUM WITH DONATED CALLIGRAPHY PIECES OPENS

[Anchor Lead]

An elder calligrapher donated roughly 2,000 pieces of work to the city of Boryeong in Chungcheongnam-do Province about 10 years ago. Now that the city government has built a museum in the calligrapher's name, the world will get to appreciate these wonderful artworks.

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​The letters are written with flair. The brush strokes, robust and compelling. This work is an original reinterpretation of the bold calligraphic style seen on the Gwanggaeto Stele, a stone memorial tablet at King Gwanggaeto's tomb. The creator of these remarkable calligraphic works is Lee Kon-soon, one of the most highly noted modern calligraphers in Korea.

[Soundbite] KIM HYE-JIN(CURATOR, BORYEONG MUSEUM) : "He is known to have built the foundation for the calligraphic world in Daejeon and Chungcheong in the 1970s and 80s. He is still teaching many students."

A museum in his penname, Jangam, now opened in Boryeong Culture Center in Chungcheongnam-do Province. The idea for the museum was conceived back in 2009 when Lee donated some 2,300 pieces of work, including his calligraphic works and scrapbooks, to his hometown of Boryeong. The Jangam Museum will present a new exhibition every six months to showcase about 670 of Lee's calligraphic works as well as rare materials like hand-written notes and scrapbooks of Joseon-era scholar Song Si-yeol.

[Soundbite] LEE KON-SOON(CALLIGRAPHER) : "I donated everything to share them with the public. I'm deeply moved that my works are shown to the world after being kept in storage for more than 10 years."

The esteemed calligrapher's selfless donation provides the general public with an opportunity to appreciate his artistry and rare works by influential figures of the past.