"This Is Eoudong, Not Chunhyang"...170 Million Won Portrait Controversy

Controversy Over Chunhyang Portrait Produced by Namwon City Prolongs
"New Portrait Fails to Capture Chunhyang's Virtue and Grace"

Namwon City’s controversy over the newly created portrait of Chunhyang, produced at a cost of 170 million won, is becoming prolonged. The 16-year-old Chunhyang with a daenggi hairstyle has been transformed into a woman in her 40s to 50s with a jjok hairdo, and the clothing has been criticized for resembling Eoudong’s attire.

On the 1st, Song Hwaja, representative of the Chunhyang Spirit Culture Preservation Society, and other gugak musicians held a press conference at Namwon City Hall, urging the portrait of Chunhyang to be redrawn and enshrined again. They stated, "The new portrait of Chunhyang does not at all represent Chunhyang’s actual appearance," insisting that it must be redrawn.

Portrait of Chunhyang created by artist Kim Hyun-chul commissioned by Namwon Cultural Center
[Photo by Namwon City]

They explained the reason for redrawing by saying, "Chunhyang in the Pansori Chunhyangga is a real person who was 16 years old at the time and has been sung about by singers for hundreds of years. However, the new portrait depicts Chunhyang as a cross-dressing woman in her 40s to 50s, and the clothing resembles that of Eoudong."

They also added, "Our singers, who have brought Chunhyang to life as a global figure through Pansori Chunhyangga, can never accept Kim Hyuncheol’s painting, which shows a woman with a large fake sideburn, a man-like face in her 40s to 50s, and clothing reminiscent of Eoudong, as Chunhyang. We cannot sing Chunhyangga while enshrining a portrait of Chunhyang that is completely different from the Chunhyang in the story," they said.

Why is the controversy over the Chunhyang portrait becoming prolonged?

During the controversy over Kim Eun-ho's pro-Japanese collaboration, it was suggested to replace his work with that of painter Kang Ju-su. However, during the verification process, controversy arose as there was no definitive evidence that Kang actually painted the work.
[Photo by Namwon City]

The background for Namwon City’s decision to newly produce the Chunhyang portrait is that the portrait previously enshrined in the Chunhyang Shrine was revealed to be the work of pro-Japanese artist Kim Eunho.

Afterward, there was conflict between Namwon City and civic groups over replacing it with the first portrait by artist Kang Jusu. When controversy arose during the verification process, including uncertainty about whether the first portrait was indeed painted by Kang, Namwon City decided to produce a new Chunhyang portrait.

The newly produced Chunhyang portrait was commissioned by the Namwon Cultural Center and created by artist Kim Hyuncheol. It is known that 170 million won was invested solely in the new portrait work.

Controversy flared up again immediately after the enshrinement ceremony of the new portrait at the Gwanghallu Garden Chunhyang Shrine, held before the 93rd Chunhyang Festival on May 25.

On June 15, the Namwon Civic Society Joint Meeting stated, "The consensus is that the new Chunhyang portrait does not properly express Chunhyang’s virtue or dignity," and argued that "a democratic discussion process should be undertaken to decide again."

New Chunhyang portrait by artist Kim Hyun-chul unveiled last May (left), Chunhyang portrait created by artist Kim Eun-ho in 1961 (right). Namwon City removed the Chunhyang portrait painted by Kim Eun-ho in October 2020 following pro-Japanese controversy and recently created a new portrait.
[Photo by Namwon City]

They further said, "Although the new portrait is said to depict a young and beautiful 17-year-old Chunhyang, it is impossible to see her as a teenager due to the appearance of an older woman," and conveyed that "many citizens prefer the original Chunhyang portrait by Kang Jusu, which was initially displayed in the Chunhyang Shrine."

In response, artist Kim Hyuncheol told JTBC in an interview, "I referred to seven high school girls recommended by a local girls’ high school in Namwon for the new portrait," but added, "I wanted to portray the image of a woman in this era who lives her life autonomously."

Kim also emphasized, "I did not think the eyes, nose, and mouth had to be very pretty like a model’s," and said, "Rather than facial features, I focused on expressing dignity through the expression and posture."

Namwon City also maintains the position that the portrait reflects Chunhyang’s appearance as much as possible based on the Chunhyangjeon and verification by costume experts.

However, after the enshrinement, civic groups and gugak musicians have insisted that "the portrait should be redrawn and enshrined to reflect the noble image of Chunhyang in Chunhyangga," so the controversy over the Chunhyang portrait is expected to continue.