“Culture News: Korean Federation of Cultural Organizations,” Hansung Ilbo, February 26, 1946, 4, column 8
Korean Federation of Cultural Organizations
* Source: Multilingual Glossary of Korean Art by Korea Arts Management Service
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Korean Federation of Cultural Organizations
A right-wing association founded on Feburary 12th, 1947, to challenge leftist groups, such as the Central Committee for the Construction of Korean Culture [Joseon munhwa geonseol jungang hyeopuihoe], the Korean Federation of Cultural Organizations [Joseon munhwa danche chong yeonmaeng], and thek Korean Young Literati Association [Joseon cheongnyeon munhakga hyeophoe]. Its nickname was ‘Munchong.’ The Organization opposed trusteeship, supported national culture, and was anti-communist. Participating groups included the Korean Art Association [Joseon misul hyeophoe], the Association of Joseon Writers [Jeon joseon munpilga hyeophoe], Theater Art Association, Joseon Film and Screenplay Writer Association, Joseon Young Literati Association, Dangu Art Academy [Dangu misulwon], Foreign Literature Study Group, Korea-China Cultural Association, Joseon Documentary Photography Cultural History, Chungang Cultural Association, Joseon Educational Art Association, Goryeo Music Association, the National Wind-instrument Music Association, The Center for Historical Truth and Justice, the Joseon Calligraphy Association, the Biology Society, Danshimhoe, the Joseon Education Society, the Joseon Sports Society, the Construction Technology Group, the Korean Commercial Art Association [Joseon sangeop misul hyeophoe], the Joseon Art Photography Association [Joseon sajin yesul yeonguhoe], the International Culture Association, the Joseon Photography Association, and the Joseon Astronomy Society. The first president was Ko Huidong, vice-presidents were Park Jong-hwa and Chae Dong-sun, and the manager was Lee Heon-goo. Their magazine Minjok Munhwa (National Culture) was published in 1949. The group was actively involved in many activities, (such as constructing Munchonggugukdae) until it was disbanded due to the May 16 military coup in 1961.
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Cultural Exhibition in Commemoration of Korean Liberation
The Cultural Exhibition in Commemoration of Korean Liberation was held from August 12 through 17, 1946 at the Dong Hwa Gallery with the participation of twenty-four organizations under the Korea Federation of Cultural Organizations [Joseon munhwa danche chong yeonmaeng] in celebration of Korea’s independence on August 15, 1945. It was designed to showcase the competence of Korean culture by comprehensively staging the seven fields of art including literature, theater, films, Gugak, posters, comics, and art. This exhibition chronicled a vivid cultural history that demonstrates how Korean culture had survived the Japanese policy of ethnic eradication and how Korea had built a democratic national culture by fighting against Japanese influence and feudalism deeply ingrained in Korea since its independence. Shedding light on various fields, the exhibition became popular for displaying rarely seen documents, such as posthumous works by deceased artists. It was a success to the point that more than 7,000 people visited on the opening day and the total number of visitors over five days exceeded 50,000. After its closing on August 17, the Joint Art Exhibition was held as a part of the Cultural Exhibition in Commemoration of Korean Liberation by three organizations, the Korean Plastic Arts Federation [Joseon johyeong yesul dongmaeng], the Korean Artist Federation [Joseon misulga dongmaeng], and the Korean Sculptors Association [Joseon jogakga hyeophoe]. This exhibition, held from August 20 through 27, 1946, featured more than sixty works by mid-career and emerging artists who had made advance strides within a year after liberation. Held in celebration of the first anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japan, the Cultural Exhibition in Commemoration of Korean Liberation is significant in that it comprehensively presented the efforts made by several organizations affiliated with the Korea Federation of Cultural Organizations in a variety of fields to build national culture.
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Korean Artist Federation
An organization formed in February 1946 under the leadership of Kim Jukyung, Lee Insung, and Oh Chiho, who had recently left the Korean Art Association (Joseon misul hyeophoe). Additionally, numerous members of the Korean Art Alliance (Joseon misul dongmaeng) also joined the organization. The president of the Korean Art Association, Ko Huidong, became a member of the Citizens Emergency Council, a group closely aligned with Rhee Syngman, despite his claims to political neutrality. This drew criticism from the artists of the Korean Artists Association and provided the impetus for the establishment of the Korean Artist Federation (Joseon misulga dongmaeng). The governing body was the Central Executive Committee, which oversaw seven departments: the Painting Department, Art Critique Department, Children’s Art Department, Art Education Department, Performing Arts Department, Sculpture Department, and Crafts Department. The organization followed a five-point doctrine: First, eliminate the remnant influences of the Japanese Empire; second, reject all nationalistic and decadent artistic trends; third, establish a new movement of national art; fourth, form a partnership with the international art community; and fifth, attempt to achieve enlightenment of the general population through art and the education of future artists. The inaugural exhibition was from June 24 to June 31, 1946, at the Hwasin Gallery. In addition to exhibitions, the group also engaged in the production of promotional art, such as posters for the Democratic People’s Front.
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Korean Photography Alliance
The Korean Photography Alliance [Joseon sajin dongmaeng; KPA] was a leftist photography organization founded on June 13, 1947 at the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) Hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Kim Jinsu, Lee Tae-ung, Lee Yongmin, and twenty other promoters gathered, held a founding convention, and launched the alliance by asserting the mission of photographers to “create photographic art with militant artistry and popular expressions.” According to a newspaper article written by Lee Tae-ung, a leading figure in the formation of the alliance, the KPA claimed to be a “photographic cultural institution established by a group of professional, amateur, and press photographers in an effort to contribute to the construction of national culture.” An affiliate of the Korea Federation of Cultural Organizations [Joseon munhwa danche chong yeonmaeng], the KPA decided to hold the First Photo Exhibition in Commemoration of Korea’s Liberation from Japan on August 15. It selected its secretary Kim Jinsu as a representative to attend the meeting of the U.S.–Soviet Joint Committee held on June 25, 1947. Lim Sukje, a member of the KPA, belonged to the cultural operations unit of the Korea Federation of Cultural Organizations and held an exhibition on the second floor of Busan Joseon Newspaper company. At the time, more than fifty photographs of leftist leaders and the U.S.-Soviet Joint Committee taken by the KPA members were displayed. However, when the division of Korea became a reality following South Korea’s separate election held on May 10, 1948, the leftist cultural organizations, including the Korea Federation of Cultural Organizations and its affiliated KPA, found it difficult to continue their activities. With the establishment of the National Guidance Alliance [Gungmin bodo yeonmaeng], which was composed of leftist defectors, on June 5, 1949, the majority of the KPA members defected to North Korea or chose to convert politically in order to survive. On December 26, 1949, the KPA was deregistered by Decree No. 55 of the Bureau of Public Information and disappeared from the official list of organizations.
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Lim Sukje
Lim Sukje (1918–1994) was an important modern and contemporary Korean photographer. He joined the Korean Photography Alliance [Joseon sajin dongmaeng], which was founded on June 13 in 1947 in Jongno, Seoul. As a member of the first squad of the cultural operation unit of the Korea Federation of Cultural Organizations [Joseon munhwa danche chongyeonmaeng], a representative left-wing organization, Lim led activities to build a new culture in the newly liberated environment. Together with other members of the Korean Photography Alliance, he participated in a traveling exhibition of the cultural operation unit hosted by the Busan Sinmun newspaper company in June 1947 by submitting press photos of the U.S.–Soviet Joint Committee, documentary photos of the Namsan Mayday event, and photos of left-wing leaders. By doing so, he widely disseminated historical records of the time to the public. From August 7 to 14 in 1948, he held The First Solo Exhibition of Art Photography by Lim Sukje at Dong Hwa Gallery. According to the photographer Hyun Ilyeong, Lim Sukje Art Photography Solo Exhibition is significant as “the first solo photography exhibition held after Korea’s liberation from Japan by overcoming the extreme shortage of photographic materials.” Given that Lee Taeung, a chairman of the Korean Photography Alliance, wrote a recommendation and that other alliance members presented their works in support of him, Lim’s solo exhibition shows the last activity of the alliance members before they were removed from the organization’s roster. The photos displayed in Lim’s solo exhibition featured men engaging in manual labor, including a laborer carrying imported food at the Incheon wharf, another in a workplace, and a tenant farmer. Accordingly, his photography was considered to break away from traditional painterly and romantic styles, pursuing instead stark and hard-edged realism. In 1952, Lim served as president of the Korean Photographic Art Research Association [Daehan sajin yesul yeonguhoe]. He continued to develop his creative oeuvre by holding nine solo exhibitions until 1962.
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