Chun Kyung-ja’s “Beautiful Woman” (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 21 (Korea Bizwire) — The bereaved family of renowned late painter Chun Kyung-ja has again lost a legal battle to defy the law enforcement authority’s conclusion that “Beautiful Woman,” kept by a national art museum, is one of Chun’s original paintings.
The Seoul Central District Court on Friday ruled against Chun’s family, who had insisted the state should provide 100 million won (US$78,000) in compensation, stating the prosecution committed illegalities before concluding in 2016 that “Beautiful Woman” stored by the Gwacheon branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) was not a fake.
The rare authenticity dispute dates back to 1991, when the MMCA disclosed “Beautiful Woman” as Chun’s genuine painting and she denied having painted it.
While the museum held fast to its insistence, Chun emigrated to the United States and died in 2015.
Chun’s second daughter, Kim Jeong-hee, filed a complaint against MMCA officials with the prosecution in 2016 for defamation and other charges, but prosecutors concluded that the work is authentic.
The following year, the Seoul High Court dismissed Kim’s request to outlaw the prosecution’s conclusion.
Kim launched the latest lawsuit in 2019, saying the prosecution damaged the honor of Chun and her family by spreading false information that the painting is genuine.
But the court said that judging from the evidence submitted by the plaintiff, it is difficult to see that the prosecution committed an illegal act, violated the duty of good faith or lost objective legitimacy.
The court also refused to accept the plaintiff’s claim of defamation by prosecutors.
Kim issued a statement expressing her disappointment at the court ruling, and her lawyer said the plaintiff will soon decide whether to appeal.
(Yonhap)
