Art and Soft Power in the UK and South Korea - examining the role and impact of Korean artefacts in museum settings

Lead Research Organisation: School of Oriental and African Studies
Department Name: Sch of Arts

Abstract

This project examines the use of artefacts to strengthen interregional relations and enhance awareness of different cultures. Focusing on Korean objects in UK museum collections, it questions how their collecting and display manifest the relationship between the UK and South Korea in past and present times. The project is underpinned by the belief that art can raise awareness of a nation, strengthen intercultural connections, and promote cross-regional interests. Despite this, the role of museum artefacts in diplomatic and political contexts remains under-researched and the project therefore fills an important gap.

The project draws on international studies on soft power and nation branding. Soft power may be defined as the ability to achieve objectives through attraction and persuasion, while nation branding refers to the image and reputation of a state. Increasingly, governments have realised that a nation's ability to influence decision making processes and behaviours in the international arena heavily depends on these two factors. Art plays a key role in this as many soft power schemes center on cultural and creative outputs. This is also the case in the UK and South Korea where art objects and their public display have been central to UK-South Korea soft power agendas. This is reflected in the fact that London is the only European capital with two galleries of Korean art, housed in major public institutions, namely the British Museum and the V&A Museum. Both were funded by Korean sponsors with the aim to improve Korea's nation brand.

The significance of the project lies in its facilitation of cross-institutional dialogues between UK and Korean stakeholders from academic and cultural institutions who work directly with Korean cultural heritage. The nature of the project necessitates an interdisciplinary approach, and it brings together expertise in the fields of art history, museum management, curating and international studies. This enables us to approach the theme of the project from different methodological, theoretical, and curatorial perspectives. It creates an interpretative platform for asking critical questions, such as: How is the national image of Korea narrated visually through representations of Korean artefacts at the British Museum and the National Museum of Korea? Which concerns underpin exhibition displays of Korean artefacts in the UK and Korea? Which issues drive the display of Korean objects at university museums, such as Ewha Womans University Museum and the Fitzwilliam Museum at the University of Cambridge? How can UK museums learn from South Korean curatorial practices and vice versa?

The project centers on a range of activities held in the UK and South Korea, aimed at establishing interdisciplinary dialogues, and cross-regional networks. Spanning conferences, fieldtrips, site visits, roundtable discussions, published outcomes and an online platform, the project will produce a range of short, mid, and long-term outputs aimed at academic beneficiaries and the wider public. The project will strengthen relations between UK and South Korean museums and enhance mutual understanding of key issues and challenges. It will positively influence the next generation of academic and museum professionals, further their knowledge and expand their networks. The project will enable us to develop a larger collaborative scheme that will contribute to broader discussions of art diplomacy and nation branding in the UK and South Korea, incorporating a wider set of case studies.

Publications

10 25 50
 
Description This project has resulted in two successful academic conferences in Seoul and London from 2022 to 2023, and a PhD student fieldtrip to Seoul. At the two academic conferences which focused on the impact of art in government-led soft power agendas, various themes surrounding museum management, cultural heritage management, curatorial impact, collecting practices, and political uses of visual imagery were investigated by speakers and participants. Speakers and participants included a wide range of international professionals, academics, and students. The PhD students' fieldtrip to Seoul initiated international networking among young professionals and contributed to the exchange of knowledge among postgraduate students across the UK and South Korea. Most importantly, the project contributed to the strengthening of academic and professional networks between the UK and South Korea, especially in the field of cultural heritage management, history, and art history.
Exploitation Route The network developed from the two conferences in Seoul and London will encourage further cooperation and exchange between academics, professionals, and students based in the UK and South Korea. It may also lead to diversified themes and research goals that utilize the same network. Postgraduate students may conduct further academic research based on the themes brought out in the two academic conferences, and future research projects may be designed using the engagement activities of this project. The PI and Co-PI are in discussion on how to develop the current project into a Phase 2 larger-sized research project involving existing and new partners. The outcome of such a project would include one or more published outcomes as well as several networking opportunities in the form of conferences, workshops and online outcomes.
Sectors Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections
URL https://youtu.be/vZuhUUjsy78
 
Description In addition to networking among professionals and academics of the field of art and cultural heritage based in the UK and South Korea, this project has brought together members of the broader public, consisting of retired academics, businessmen, students, librarians, journalists, and general cultural enthusiasts. This non-academic network of varied and diverse individuals have renewed general interest in Korean culture and arts, promoted and brought attention to current public events and exhibitions on Korean art and cultural heritage, and fostered further awareness of the need to continue to strengthen UK-South Korea relations.
First Year Of Impact 2022
Sector Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections
Impact Types Cultural
 
Description Art and Soft Power in the UK and South Korea - examining the role and impact of Korean artefacts in museum setting 
Organisation British Museum
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution 1. The first key outcome of the collaboration was a conference held at Ewha in Seoul, August 2022. The conference was funded by the OKCHF and organised by the Research Institute of Korean Culture, and hosted by the Ewha Womans University. A total of eight academics and museum professionals from the UK and South Korea presented in the conference. It examined the factors that have impacted the display, acquisition, and interpretation of Korean artefacts in the UK and Korea in past and present times. To further debates and increase impact, Korean academics, museum professionals and students were invited to attend. Presentation papers were published as conference proceedings. 2. Designed to further develop the findings of the Ewha conference, a second conference was held at SOAS in January 2023, funded by the ESRC grant. It placed the acquisition, display and management of Korean artefacts in the UK in context of South Korean soft power agendas and UK-based approaches to museum objects. The conference was an open, public event and attracted audiences from the academic and museum sector as well as the Korean Studies community. 3. A seven-day fieldtrip to Korea was organised for five postgraduate students from SOAS to coincide with the Seoul conference. In addition to attending the conferences, the students participated in guided tours of museums and met with local curators and other stakeholders. They engaged in peer-led academic exchanges with postgraduate students from Ewha Womans University, which was aimed at facilitating cross-regional dialogues. 4. In the UK, Korean project partners and presenters participated in guided tours of the V&A and the British Museum and networked with curators of the two museums.
Collaborator Contribution Ewha Womans University has hosted the Seoul conference and enabled the student networking event, as well as organizing a tour of the Ewha Womans University Museum, led by Professor Jang Nam Won. The Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation have publicised the collaboration. In occasion of the London conference, the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum have both organized guided tours of their Korean collections for Korean presenters. Sangah Kim of the British Museum has also liaisoned with the Conservation Department and led a group visit to the conservation rooms, as well as fostering discussion of further collaboration and networking between South Korean professionals and the British Museum.
Impact The collaboration between the institutions have resulted in two academic conferences, one PhD field trip, multiple museum visits by both academics and SOAS postgraduate students, and networking opportunities among academics and students in both South Korea and the UK. Meetings between UK and Korean partners in Seoul and London have enabled further discussion on future collaborations between UK and Korean partners, such as joint exhibitions, research projects and exchanges of students.
Start Year 2022
 
Description Art and Soft Power in the UK and South Korea - examining the role and impact of Korean artefacts in museum setting 
Organisation Ewha Womans University, Seoul
Country Korea, Republic of 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution 1. The first key outcome of the collaboration was a conference held at Ewha in Seoul, August 2022. The conference was funded by the OKCHF and organised by the Research Institute of Korean Culture, and hosted by the Ewha Womans University. A total of eight academics and museum professionals from the UK and South Korea presented in the conference. It examined the factors that have impacted the display, acquisition, and interpretation of Korean artefacts in the UK and Korea in past and present times. To further debates and increase impact, Korean academics, museum professionals and students were invited to attend. Presentation papers were published as conference proceedings. 2. Designed to further develop the findings of the Ewha conference, a second conference was held at SOAS in January 2023, funded by the ESRC grant. It placed the acquisition, display and management of Korean artefacts in the UK in context of South Korean soft power agendas and UK-based approaches to museum objects. The conference was an open, public event and attracted audiences from the academic and museum sector as well as the Korean Studies community. 3. A seven-day fieldtrip to Korea was organised for five postgraduate students from SOAS to coincide with the Seoul conference. In addition to attending the conferences, the students participated in guided tours of museums and met with local curators and other stakeholders. They engaged in peer-led academic exchanges with postgraduate students from Ewha Womans University, which was aimed at facilitating cross-regional dialogues. 4. In the UK, Korean project partners and presenters participated in guided tours of the V&A and the British Museum and networked with curators of the two museums.
Collaborator Contribution Ewha Womans University has hosted the Seoul conference and enabled the student networking event, as well as organizing a tour of the Ewha Womans University Museum, led by Professor Jang Nam Won. The Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation have publicised the collaboration. In occasion of the London conference, the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum have both organized guided tours of their Korean collections for Korean presenters. Sangah Kim of the British Museum has also liaisoned with the Conservation Department and led a group visit to the conservation rooms, as well as fostering discussion of further collaboration and networking between South Korean professionals and the British Museum.
Impact The collaboration between the institutions have resulted in two academic conferences, one PhD field trip, multiple museum visits by both academics and SOAS postgraduate students, and networking opportunities among academics and students in both South Korea and the UK. Meetings between UK and Korean partners in Seoul and London have enabled further discussion on future collaborations between UK and Korean partners, such as joint exhibitions, research projects and exchanges of students.
Start Year 2022
 
Description Art and Soft Power in the UK and South Korea - examining the role and impact of Korean artefacts in museum setting 
Organisation National Museum of Korea
Country Korea, Republic of 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution 1. The first key outcome of the collaboration was a conference held at Ewha in Seoul, August 2022. The conference was funded by the OKCHF and organised by the Research Institute of Korean Culture, and hosted by the Ewha Womans University. A total of eight academics and museum professionals from the UK and South Korea presented in the conference. It examined the factors that have impacted the display, acquisition, and interpretation of Korean artefacts in the UK and Korea in past and present times. To further debates and increase impact, Korean academics, museum professionals and students were invited to attend. Presentation papers were published as conference proceedings. 2. Designed to further develop the findings of the Ewha conference, a second conference was held at SOAS in January 2023, funded by the ESRC grant. It placed the acquisition, display and management of Korean artefacts in the UK in context of South Korean soft power agendas and UK-based approaches to museum objects. The conference was an open, public event and attracted audiences from the academic and museum sector as well as the Korean Studies community. 3. A seven-day fieldtrip to Korea was organised for five postgraduate students from SOAS to coincide with the Seoul conference. In addition to attending the conferences, the students participated in guided tours of museums and met with local curators and other stakeholders. They engaged in peer-led academic exchanges with postgraduate students from Ewha Womans University, which was aimed at facilitating cross-regional dialogues. 4. In the UK, Korean project partners and presenters participated in guided tours of the V&A and the British Museum and networked with curators of the two museums.
Collaborator Contribution Ewha Womans University has hosted the Seoul conference and enabled the student networking event, as well as organizing a tour of the Ewha Womans University Museum, led by Professor Jang Nam Won. The Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation have publicised the collaboration. In occasion of the London conference, the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum have both organized guided tours of their Korean collections for Korean presenters. Sangah Kim of the British Museum has also liaisoned with the Conservation Department and led a group visit to the conservation rooms, as well as fostering discussion of further collaboration and networking between South Korean professionals and the British Museum.
Impact The collaboration between the institutions have resulted in two academic conferences, one PhD field trip, multiple museum visits by both academics and SOAS postgraduate students, and networking opportunities among academics and students in both South Korea and the UK. Meetings between UK and Korean partners in Seoul and London have enabled further discussion on future collaborations between UK and Korean partners, such as joint exhibitions, research projects and exchanges of students.
Start Year 2022
 
Description Art and Soft Power in the UK and South Korea - examining the role and impact of Korean artefacts in museum setting 
Organisation University of Cambridge
Department The Fitzwilliam Museum
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution 1. The first key outcome of the collaboration was a conference held at Ewha in Seoul, August 2022. The conference was funded by the OKCHF and organised by the Research Institute of Korean Culture, and hosted by the Ewha Womans University. A total of eight academics and museum professionals from the UK and South Korea presented in the conference. It examined the factors that have impacted the display, acquisition, and interpretation of Korean artefacts in the UK and Korea in past and present times. To further debates and increase impact, Korean academics, museum professionals and students were invited to attend. Presentation papers were published as conference proceedings. 2. Designed to further develop the findings of the Ewha conference, a second conference was held at SOAS in January 2023, funded by the ESRC grant. It placed the acquisition, display and management of Korean artefacts in the UK in context of South Korean soft power agendas and UK-based approaches to museum objects. The conference was an open, public event and attracted audiences from the academic and museum sector as well as the Korean Studies community. 3. A seven-day fieldtrip to Korea was organised for five postgraduate students from SOAS to coincide with the Seoul conference. In addition to attending the conferences, the students participated in guided tours of museums and met with local curators and other stakeholders. They engaged in peer-led academic exchanges with postgraduate students from Ewha Womans University, which was aimed at facilitating cross-regional dialogues. 4. In the UK, Korean project partners and presenters participated in guided tours of the V&A and the British Museum and networked with curators of the two museums.
Collaborator Contribution Ewha Womans University has hosted the Seoul conference and enabled the student networking event, as well as organizing a tour of the Ewha Womans University Museum, led by Professor Jang Nam Won. The Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation have publicised the collaboration. In occasion of the London conference, the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum have both organized guided tours of their Korean collections for Korean presenters. Sangah Kim of the British Museum has also liaisoned with the Conservation Department and led a group visit to the conservation rooms, as well as fostering discussion of further collaboration and networking between South Korean professionals and the British Museum.
Impact The collaboration between the institutions have resulted in two academic conferences, one PhD field trip, multiple museum visits by both academics and SOAS postgraduate students, and networking opportunities among academics and students in both South Korea and the UK. Meetings between UK and Korean partners in Seoul and London have enabled further discussion on future collaborations between UK and Korean partners, such as joint exhibitions, research projects and exchanges of students.
Start Year 2022
 
Description Art and Soft Power in the UK and South Korea - examining the role and impact of Korean artefacts in museum setting 
Organisation Victoria and Albert Museum
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution 1. The first key outcome of the collaboration was a conference held at Ewha in Seoul, August 2022. The conference was funded by the OKCHF and organised by the Research Institute of Korean Culture, and hosted by the Ewha Womans University. A total of eight academics and museum professionals from the UK and South Korea presented in the conference. It examined the factors that have impacted the display, acquisition, and interpretation of Korean artefacts in the UK and Korea in past and present times. To further debates and increase impact, Korean academics, museum professionals and students were invited to attend. Presentation papers were published as conference proceedings. 2. Designed to further develop the findings of the Ewha conference, a second conference was held at SOAS in January 2023, funded by the ESRC grant. It placed the acquisition, display and management of Korean artefacts in the UK in context of South Korean soft power agendas and UK-based approaches to museum objects. The conference was an open, public event and attracted audiences from the academic and museum sector as well as the Korean Studies community. 3. A seven-day fieldtrip to Korea was organised for five postgraduate students from SOAS to coincide with the Seoul conference. In addition to attending the conferences, the students participated in guided tours of museums and met with local curators and other stakeholders. They engaged in peer-led academic exchanges with postgraduate students from Ewha Womans University, which was aimed at facilitating cross-regional dialogues. 4. In the UK, Korean project partners and presenters participated in guided tours of the V&A and the British Museum and networked with curators of the two museums.
Collaborator Contribution Ewha Womans University has hosted the Seoul conference and enabled the student networking event, as well as organizing a tour of the Ewha Womans University Museum, led by Professor Jang Nam Won. The Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation have publicised the collaboration. In occasion of the London conference, the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum have both organized guided tours of their Korean collections for Korean presenters. Sangah Kim of the British Museum has also liaisoned with the Conservation Department and led a group visit to the conservation rooms, as well as fostering discussion of further collaboration and networking between South Korean professionals and the British Museum.
Impact The collaboration between the institutions have resulted in two academic conferences, one PhD field trip, multiple museum visits by both academics and SOAS postgraduate students, and networking opportunities among academics and students in both South Korea and the UK. Meetings between UK and Korean partners in Seoul and London have enabled further discussion on future collaborations between UK and Korean partners, such as joint exhibitions, research projects and exchanges of students.
Start Year 2022
 
Description Academic Conference in London 2023 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact The 2023 London conference was designed as a follow up on the 2022 Seoul conference to further develop and diversify discussion and deepen the investigation of the role art objects play in soft power schemes led by Korea and the UK governments. The academic conference was open to the public an attracted varied audiences of students, academics and museum and cultural heritage management professionals, as well as diverse members of the general public, such as businessmen, retired diplomats and others. Once more, eight academics and museum professionals presented in the conference, and the audience engaged in Q&A sessions. The London conference strengthened the network formulated from the 2022 Seoul conference and allowed for UK audiences to participate in the open discussion of the role of art in the formulation of soft power and South Korea-UK relations.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Academic Conference in Seoul 2022 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The 2022 Seoul conference was an academic conference aimed at fostering discussion and the exchange of knowledge on the role art objects play in soft power schemes led by South Korea and the UK governments. The conference attracted an international pool of students, academics and museum and cultural heritage management professionals. Eight academics and professionals based in South Korea and the UK presented on the topic, and engaged in open discussion with the audience. The conference also resulted in active international networking among presenters and the audience, and SOAS PhD students were able to share their research with postgraduate students from Ewha Woman's University , and thereby expanded the reach of their own professional networks.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description PhD students' field trip to Seoul 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact 5 PhD students from the School of Arts, SOAS, University of London traveled to Seoul, South Korea in August 2022 for a 7 day field trip. During the trip, students visited major museums in Seoul such as the National Palace Museum of Korea, National Museum of Korea, Seoul Museum of Craft Art, National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, Arario Gallery, Seoul Museum, Leeum Samsung Museum of Art, and the Ewha Womans University Museum. They also networked with fellow postgraduate students of the Ewha Womans University and presented on their research. The PhD students also attended the Seoul conference, where they met with museum professionals and academics based in South Korea.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022