MMCA Halts Sales of Souvenirs Featuring Forged Lee Jung-seob Painting
Published June 9, 2025 03:55 AM
Jason Yim
SEOUL — The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) has suspended sales of souvenir items featuring an artwork long determined by courts to be a forgery falsely attributed to renowned Korean modern artist Lee Jung-seob.
The products, which included various merchandise bearing the image of the painting Children, had been available at MMCA museum shops since October 2020. Sales were halted only this March, nearly four years later, after Lee's family raised formal objections.
Seongnam police are currently investigating a man identified by the surname Yoo, the head of a design company that manufactured the items. He is under suspicion of fraud after Lee’s descendants filed a criminal complaint, claiming Yoo knowingly used an image of the forged painting.
The piece at the center of the controversy had been the subject of a prolonged legal dispute, with South Korea’s Supreme Court affirming in 2017 that the artwork was inauthentic. Authorities cited handwriting inconsistencies, scientific analysis, and the absence of Lee’s signature style and fingerprints in their ruling.
“Lee Jung-seob is widely known for the strength in his stroke, but this painting lacks even the basics of brush movement,” one expert involved in the investigation stated.
Despite this legal background, MMCA’s product planning team approved the sale of goods featuring the painting. According to the artist's family, they discovered the items at MMCA Deoksugung in September 2023 and raised concerns with staff, but the complaint was not properly escalated. The products continued to be sold, even appearing with modified packaging at MMCA’s Seoul branch earlier this year.
Following a second complaint from the family, MMCA’s foundation decided to remove all 10 product designs supplied by Yoo’s company. Around 400 units had been sold at the museum’s Deoksugung, Seoul, and Cheongju branches, earning approximately 5.06 million won ($3,700).
Lee Jung-seob typically did not depict hair when drawing children and favored bolder lines
Yoo told the JoongAng Ilbo via email that he only learned about the court’s forgery ruling in July 2022. He claimed the image came from an acquaintance and appeared in a catalog, which led him to believe it was authentic. “If it were a forgery, it wouldn’t have been published in the catalog at all,” Yoo wrote. “I had no reason to suspect [it was fake].”
The family, however, argues that the company misled consumers by printing Lee’s actual signature on the merchandise and including a detailed biography of the artist, despite the court ruling. They accuse Yoo of “willful negligence” and deliberate misrepresentation.
An MMCA spokesperson said all products from the supplier have been pulled, and the museum plans to strengthen its supplier vetting process going forward.
Lee Jung-seob’s family emphasized that their legal action was not only about halting sales but also about preserving the integrity of the late artist’s legacy. “Even decades after Lee’s death, forgeries continue to circulate,” they said. “If we don’t correct these misrepresentations, the value of his genuine works — and Korea’s art world as a whole — will suffer.”
In a related incident, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) removed a painting attributed to Lee titled Climbing Children last year, after it was also confirmed to be a forgery.
Sayart / Jason Yim yimjongho1969@gmail.com
SEOUL — The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) has suspended sales of souvenir items featuring an artwork long determined by courts to be a forgery falsely attributed to renowned Korean modern artist Lee Jung-seob.
The products, which included various merchandise bearing the image of the painting Children, had been available at MMCA museum shops since October 2020. Sales were halted only this March, nearly four years later, after Lee's family raised formal objections.
Seongnam police are currently investigating a man identified by the surname Yoo, the head of a design company that manufactured the items. He is under suspicion of fraud after Lee’s descendants filed a criminal complaint, claiming Yoo knowingly used an image of the forged painting.
The piece at the center of the controversy had been the subject of a prolonged legal dispute, with South Korea’s Supreme Court affirming in 2017 that the artwork was inauthentic. Authorities cited handwriting inconsistencies, scientific analysis, and the absence of Lee’s signature style and fingerprints in their ruling.
“Lee Jung-seob is widely known for the strength in his stroke, but this painting lacks even the basics of brush movement,” one expert involved in the investigation stated.
Despite this legal background, MMCA’s product planning team approved the sale of goods featuring the painting. According to the artist's family, they discovered the items at MMCA Deoksugung in September 2023 and raised concerns with staff, but the complaint was not properly escalated. The products continued to be sold, even appearing with modified packaging at MMCA’s Seoul branch earlier this year.
Following a second complaint from the family, MMCA’s foundation decided to remove all 10 product designs supplied by Yoo’s company. Around 400 units had been sold at the museum’s Deoksugung, Seoul, and Cheongju branches, earning approximately 5.06 million won ($3,700).
Lee Jung-seob typically did not depict hair when drawing children and favored bolder lines
Yoo told the JoongAng Ilbo via email that he only learned about the court’s forgery ruling in July 2022. He claimed the image came from an acquaintance and appeared in a catalog, which led him to believe it was authentic. “If it were a forgery, it wouldn’t have been published in the catalog at all,” Yoo wrote. “I had no reason to suspect [it was fake].”
The family, however, argues that the company misled consumers by printing Lee’s actual signature on the merchandise and including a detailed biography of the artist, despite the court ruling. They accuse Yoo of “willful negligence” and deliberate misrepresentation.
An MMCA spokesperson said all products from the supplier have been pulled, and the museum plans to strengthen its supplier vetting process going forward.
Lee Jung-seob’s family emphasized that their legal action was not only about halting sales but also about preserving the integrity of the late artist’s legacy. “Even decades after Lee’s death, forgeries continue to circulate,” they said. “If we don’t correct these misrepresentations, the value of his genuine works — and Korea’s art world as a whole — will suffer.”
In a related incident, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) removed a painting attributed to Lee titled Climbing Children last year, after it was also confirmed to be a forgery.
