Seowon: Honoring Virtue and Educating Scholars

Dates: June 30 - August 30, 2020
Exhibited in the Special Exhibition Gallery at Jeonju National Museum

Jeonju National Museum, together with the Foundation of Seowon, proudly presents the special exhibition Seowon: Honoring Virtue and Educating Scholars. On July 10, 2019, at the 43th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (held in Baku, Azerbaijan), Korea’s nine seowon (i.e., Neo-Confucian academies) were officially designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites. In making this designation, UNESCO acknowledged the “Outstanding Universal Value” (OUV) of the nine seowon: Sosu Seowon (in Yeongju), Namgye Seowon (Hamyang), Oksan Seowon (Gyeongju), Dosan Seowon (Andong), Piram Seowon (Jangseong), Dodong Seowon (Dalseong), Byeongsan Seowon (Andong), Museong Seowon (Jeongeup), and Donam Seowon (Nonsan). Significantly, while promoting the ideals of Neo-Confucianism, each seowon also actively preserved and developed its own regional characteristics. Thus, the seowon exemplify how the overall concept of Neo-Confucianism underwent historical changes in Korea.

Presenting an array of artworks and other cultural objects from museums and the nine seowon themselves, this exhibition shows the value of the seowon as global heritage, while also illuminating the spirit of the seonbi, the literati scholars who led the Joseon society. Unlike government educational institutions such as the Royal Academy, the Four Academies, or local Confucian schools, the seowon were independently established within their respective regions. As Joseon’s representative educational institutions, the seowon aimed to build academic communities of individuals dedicated to becoming ideal Neo-Confucian scholars. In addition to their educational functions, the seowon shaped public opinion within their communities and held rituals  to honor local Neo-Confucian scholars as their teachers. While leading the development of Neo-Confucianism, the seowon also served as the heart of education, culture, and politics in each region. Moreover, the guiding principles of the seowon―to nurture righteousness, to cultivate a caring society, and to maintain balance between nature and humanity―remain amazingly relevant to today’s society.