How much would you pay for this painting? The painting above by 이한우 sold for 7천만원 at an internet auction last week. That's a domestic record for online auctions.
The highest-paid Korean painting at a domestic auction (online or off) goes to the work of Park Soo-keun (박수근). His painting "빨래터" (late 1950s) sold for the unbelievable sum of 4.52 billion won (45억원) last month. Six women doing the laundry has made someone very, very happy.
We seem to hear about art from the mainstream press only when money is involved. Unless, of course, it also involves breaking the law. For recent news about Korean art that doesn't involve money or crime, check out this June 9th article from The Washington Post: "Smithsonian Unveils Korea Gallery".