The Peabody Essex Museum’s gallery of Korean art is named in honor of Yu Kil-Chun, a Korean diplomat, scholar, and activist who developed strong ties with the museum in the mid-1880s and who remains an honored figure in Korea today.

In 1883 Yu visited the United States as a member of the first official Korean delegation to this country. Under the mentorship of Edward Sylvester Morse, then director of the Peabody Academy of Science (now the Peabody Essex Museum), Yu studied at nearby Governor Dummer Academy (The Governor’s Academy) in Byfield, Mass. Yu was among the first supporters of the museum’s collection of Korean art and objects from the late Joseon dynasty (18th–19th centuries). He helped Morse create a series of lectures on Korean culture and reviewed the first acquisitions to the Korean collection. Yu even donated his Korean clothing and accessories to the collection. While in the United States and following his return to Korean in 1885, Yu corresponded with Morse. Yu’s letters as well as his donations to the collection can be viewed by clicking on the associated pdf.

View Yu’s letters and donations › (PDF Format)