[2025 Audit] Presidential Office Damaged National Heritage Craftwork and Compensated Three Months Later

Tea Bowl Worth 3 Million Won “Broken in Unforeseen Accident”
Presidential Office Also Refused to Submit Inspection Photos

Damaged tea bowl

The Office of the President damaged a traditional craftwork tea bowl (dawan) borrowed from the National Heritage Administration and only compensated for it three months later. This incident, which occurred amid difficulties in even verifying the management status, has brought the presidential office’s craftwork management system under scrutiny.

According to materials released on October 16 by Assemblywoman Son Sol of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, the Office of the President notified the National Heritage Administration on December 29 last year that the tea bowl had been “broken in an unforeseen accident.” Later, in the “2024 Traditional Craftwork Utilization and Management Status Inspection” report submitted on January 16 this year, it stated, “The damaged tea bowl has been restored.”

The National Heritage Administration responded by saying, “A restored piece cannot be returned,” and informed the office that it must either replace it with a work of the same value by the same artist or provide monetary compensation. It was not until March 8, three months after the damage, that the Office of the President compensated 3 million won for the piece.

The National Heritage Administration lends craftworks created by holders of National Intangible Cultural Heritage free of charge to institutions and organizations to promote them domestically and internationally. The borrowing institution is responsible for management, and the National Intangible Heritage Center inspects the management status once a year. At this time, photos of the pieces taken within the past three months must be submitted.

However, the Office of the President did not submit any photos. Instead, it only provided documents stating, “The piece is on permanent display in a stable exhibition environment,” and “It is being managed through regular inspections and the placement of CCTV and security personnel.” The office refused to submit photos, citing security reasons.

An official from the National Heritage Administration stated, “Traditional craftworks are valuable cultural assets made directly by holders of Intangible Cultural Heritage and require meticulous management,” adding, “We will work with the Office of the President to establish at least the minimum management procedures.”

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