‘Imparting Harmony and Friendship,’ an exhibit currently underway at the Presidential Archives in Sejong City, features a collection of gifts that former Korean presidents received from their foreign counterparts over the years. An ornate jewelry box (pictured) was given to former President Chun Doo Hwan by former Japanese Emperor Hirohito and is one of the exhibition’s highlights.
A petal-shaped ornament was given to former President Park Chung-hee by Haile Selassie, former emperor of Ethiopia. A jewelry box was received by former President Chun Doo-Hwan from former Japanese Emperor Hirohito in 1984. It was the first time for a modern Korean head of state to pay an official visit to Japan. A congratulatory letter from former Pope John Paul II was sent to former President Kim Dae-jung on the occasion of his inauguration.
All of these artifacts are currently on display in the Presidential Archives at the National Archives of Korea, part of an exhibit titled “Imparting Harmony and Friendship,” which opened on Sept. 1.
A petal-shaped ornament that was given to former President Park Chung-hee by Haile Selassie, former emperor of Ethiopia, is on display in the Presidential Archives, part of the ”Imparting Harmony and Friendship’ exhibit.
The exhibit features some 100 artifacts that former presidents received from their foreign counterparts over the years. These include everything from ornaments and photos through to diplomatic documents and other historical records.
Some highlights of the exhibit include a miniature ship made out of silver that was given to former President Choi Kyu-hah in May 1980 by former Kuwaiti Emir Jaber al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, and a 1992 treaty on the relationship between Korea and Russia that was signed by Russia’s first popularly elected president, President Boris Yeltsin, and former President Roh Tae-woo.
The exhibit also traces the diplomatic journey of all the past presidents, from the first president Rhee Syngman to former President Lee Myung-bak, through photographs and videos rendered as holograms and 3D images.
A miniature ship made out of silver and which was given to former President Choi Kyu-hah in May 1980 by former Kuwaiti Emir Jaber al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah is on display in the Presidential Archives.
Lee Jae-jun, director general of the Presidential Archives, said, “I hope that the exhibit, which coincides with the International Council on Archives Congress 2016 currently underway in Seoul, will give foreign delegations an overview of the friendship that Korea has built with its allies over the years. Local visitors will also get an appreciation for the grander meaning of the Presidential Archives by coming to our exhibition.”
The exhibition continues until Oct. 16. You can also browse the entire collection of diplomatic gifts online at the Presidential Archive website below.
http://www.pa.go.kr/portal/contents/stroll/giftgallery/giftgalleryGuide.do
By Lee Hana
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Presidential Archives
hlee10@korea.kr
‘Imparting Harmony and Friendship’ will run at the Presidential Archives in Sejong City until Oct. 16.
