As Part of the "Regional Contribution Repair and Restoration Support Project"
Re-examining Children's Literature Author Yoon Bok-jin
Providing Research Materials for Modern Children's Song History
Daegu Gansong Museum announced on the 14th that it has restored 14 items of materials related to children's literature author Yoon Bok-jin, who passed down the Korean language and spirit to children through children's songs during the Japanese colonial period.
Back cover of 'Dongyo Yuhui Jip'. Left side shows before repair, right side shows after repair. Daegu Gansol Art Museum
The restored materials were selected from the records donated to Daegu City by Yoon Bok-jin's family in 2022, considering the value and urgency of preservation. A total of 14 items, including collections of children's songs and Yoon Bok-jin's personal belongings, were chosen.
Among them, the song collections "Mulsae Baljaok" and "Dongyo Yuheejip" are regarded as important materials of the "children's song movement" that passed down the Korean language and spirit to children during the Japanese colonial period, and are considered significant for re-examining the history of Korean children's songs.
Additionally, items such as the promotion and graduation certificates from Heewon School, the predecessor of Daegu Jongno Elementary School, and the graduation album from Gyesong School are seen as materials that allow research into Yoon Bok-jin's growth as a children's literature author and lyricist, as well as the establishment, operation, and educational system of modern schools in Daegu at that time.
A conservation specialist at Daegu Kansong Art Museum is performing dry cleaning on the "Hiwon School Promotion Certificate." Daegu Kansong Art Museum
The documents were in a considerably deteriorated state. Loose sheets had been stored rolled up for a long time, resulting in overall discoloration, oxidation, creasing, tearing, and curling. The surfaces were heavily contaminated with insect secretions and other dirt. In the case of the song collection "Mulsae Baljaok," the front cover and some inner pages were separated, and for "Dongyo Yuheejip," the upper parts of the front and back covers were missing. The missing parts were filled through scientific analysis and color-matched to the surrounding areas. Books with separated covers and inner pages were disassembled, reinforced, and rebound to their original form.
New information was revealed during the restoration process. In particular, an advertisement for the song collection attached inside the front cover of "Mulsae Baljaok," composed by Park Tae-jun and written by Yoon Bok-jin, was separated to restore the advertisement on the back. Through "Mulsae Baljaok," cultural exchanges between the representative modern artist Lee In-seong and children's literature author Yoon Bok-jin of the era were confirmed. The restored advertisement was not reattached but managed individually to enhance its potential use in future exhibitions and research.
The restoration process was made public to visitors through the "Visible Repair and Restoration Room" at Daegu Gansong Museum. The restored materials were handed over to Daegu City in early April and are expected to be used as research materials on cultural artists who were active nationwide based on Yoon Bok-jin and modern Daegu.
Jeon In-geon, director of Daegu Gansong Museum, said, "The repair and restoration of materials related to Yoon Bok-jin provided an opportunity to discover and convey the region's cultural heritage and hidden stories to citizens." He added, "Going forward, Daegu Gansong Museum will actively utilize the repair and restoration know-how accumulated by Gansong Museum for various paper cultural heritages to establish a repair and restoration hub for paper cultural heritage in the Yeongnam region."
Daegu Gansong Museum plans to conduct a public project in May to support the repair and restoration of personal paper collections containing individual stories and memories for Daegu citizens.
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