Is the New 'Chunhyang Portrait' Worth 170 Million Won Really 17 Years Old?

"Painted with 18th-century woman around 17 years old in mind"
Citizens' reactions cold "Fails to capture Chunhyang spirit"

Namwon City is facing a wave of criticism from citizens over the newly created 'Chunhyang Portrait.' In the artwork, Chunhyang is depicted as 17 years old, but the figure in the portrait appears to be in her 40s or 50s and is perceived as having an androgynous appearance.

On the 25th of last month, Namwon City and the Namwon Cultural Center held a portrait enshrinement ceremony ahead of the 93rd Chunhyang Festival and enshrined the new portrait at the Chunhyang Shrine in Gwanghallu Garden, Namwon, Jeonbuk. Commissioned by Namwon City and led by the Namwon Cultural Center, the portrait measures 94 cm in width and 173 cm in height. The portrait, painted by artist Kim Hyun-cheol, reportedly cost over 170 million KRW to produce.

Namwon City, the Namwon Cultural Center, and artist Kim stated in a press release, "The new Chunhyang portrait was painted with the image of an 18th-century woman around 17 years old, preparing herself on the Dano Festival day in May, as described in the first lines of the pansori complete edition 'Yeolnyeo Chunhyang Sujeolga' and the printed edition 'Chunhyangjeon,' about to ride a swing." They added, "During the portrait creation process, the appearances of seven female students recommended by a girls' high school in Namwon were referenced."

Criticism from citizens is rising over the newly created 'Chunhyang Portrait' by Namwon City.
[Photo by Namwon City]

However, the public reaction to the new portrait has been cold. The portrait, which was painstakingly recreated, is said to have failed to capture the values of Namwon and the spirit of Chunhyang as expected. The 'Namwon Citizens' Social Council,' consisting of 15 organizations, issued a statement on the 14th saying, "The Chunhyang in the new painting looks like an older woman who is hardly in her teens. Moreover, it is widely agreed that the portrait fails to properly express Chunhyang's virtue and dignity," and proposed "a renewed objective and democratic public discussion regarding the enshrinement of the Chunhyang portrait."

Meanwhile, the first known Chunhyang portrait was created by artists Kang Shin-ho and Im Kyung-soo for the first Chunhyang Festival in 1931. Although part of this artwork was damaged during the Korean War, it is reported to be well preserved in the storage of the Namwon Local Museum. The Chunhyang portrait painted by Kim Eun-ho in 1939 was lost. Kim also painted another Chunhyang portrait in 1961, but it was removed in September 2020 amid controversy over his pro-Japanese collaboration. Amid ongoing controversies surrounding the Chunhyang portrait, attention is focused on whether this new portrait will be successfully finalized.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.