The controversial painting "Beautiful Woman" / Korea Times photo by Hong In-kie

A key piece of evidence used by prosecutors in 2016 to declare the painting "Beautiful Woman" as the work of the late renowned painter Chun Kyung-ja is now causing a split among experts, reigniting controversy in a related damages suit nearly a decade on.

According to court documents disclosed Tuesday, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office recently submitted results from a 2016 visual appraisal to the Seoul High Court, which is reviewing an appeal in a damages case filed by Chun's family. The lawsuit, filed in 2021, seeks 100 million won ($74,000) in compensation from the state.

The documents show that of the nine experts who appraised the painting at the time, only four concluded it was genuine, while three believed it was a forgery and two were undecided.

The panel of appraisers was formed based on recommendations from Chun's family, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) and other art experts. The identities of the appraisers were not disclosed.

The findings appear to contradict the prosecution's 2016 claim that the majority opinion from experts supported the painting's authenticity. At the time, following a seven-month investigation, prosecutors said they found "Beautiful Woman" to be genuine, citing a "consensus among experts through visual appraisal," but did not disclose detailed results.

The Justice Ministry now argues the conclusion was based on both expert opinion and scientific analysis, and that opinions from those who were undecided should not be counted in the balance.

Chun's family, however, accuses the prosecution of distorting the appraisal results, insisting that such evaluations are typically considered inconclusive unless a unanimous decision is reached. A ruling on the appeal is scheduled for April 18.

Kim Jung-hee, a daughter of the late painter Chun Kyung-ja, listens to reporters' questions during a press conference for her book "Chun Kyung-ja Code," which analyzes the authenticity of "Beautiful Woman," at the Korea Press Center in Seoul on July 20, 2017. Yonhap

Decades-old controversy

The authenticity of "Beautiful Woman" has been debated for more than three decades. The controversy began in 1991 when Chun discovered that the MMCA was selling posters of the painting. She firmly denied authorship, famously saying, "What parent doesn't recognize their own child?"

The MMCA maintained that the painting was genuine, and the Korea Gallery Association's appraisal committee also rejected Chun's claim.

Rumors circulated at the time that Chun may have had dementia, prompting her to declare she would no longer paint. She later moved to the United States with her family and died in 2015.

After a person who had previously claimed to be the forger recanted their testimony, Chun's family filed criminal complaints against six current and former MMCA officials for defaming the late artist. A French art appraisal team hired by the family concluded that the probability the painting was genuine was just 0.0002 percent.

Despite that, prosecutors maintained the work was authentic. Chun's family then filed a lawsuit accusing prosecutors of distorting the appraisal results and fabricating the investigation's conclusion.

In the first trial, critic Choi Kwang-jin, who served on the 2016 appraisal panel, testified that prosecutors had attempted to induce false testimony. However, the family lost the case.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.