National Palace Museum Preserves 1893 World's Fair Military Flags

First-ever Exhibition of 27 Korean Cultural Artifacts from the University of Pennsylvania Museum

Christopher Woods, Director of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania (third from left), and officials from the National Palace Museum and the Cultural Heritage National Trust, pose for a commemorative photo after a preservation treatment meeting.

The National Palace Museum announced on April 13 that, with sponsorship from Riot Games, five Korean military flags housed at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology have undergone preservation treatment locally in the United States, and will be released to the public in Korea starting December 2.

These items were originally exhibited at the Joseon Pavilion of the 1893 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition, which was the first world’s fair that Joseon officially participated in. After the event, they were donated or sold to various institutions across the United States.

The University of Pennsylvania Museum has acquired and preserved some of the Korean exhibits, including the military flags. Among these, the flags were in particularly poor condition, making urgent preservation treatment necessary.

In February, the National Palace Museum signed a business agreement with the University of Pennsylvania Museum and the Cultural Heritage Foundation to proceed with local preservation treatment, supported by Riot Games.

The preserved flags will be revealed to the public on December 2 at the special exhibition "World's Fair" (working title) at the National Palace Museum. The exhibition will showcase works exhibited by Joseon and the Korean Empire at the 1893 Chicago and 1900 Paris World’s Fairs. For the first time, all twenty-seven Korean cultural artifacts held by the University of Pennsylvania Museum will be released to the public.

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