Accra:Seoul You Hong-june, director of the National Museum of Korea, has offered to resign following controversy surrounding a misattributed calligraphic work displayed from his private collection. The work was incorrectly labeled as being by a Korean independence activist but was later identified as the creation of a pro-Japanese collaborator during Japan's colonial rule of Korea.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the museum has since removed the piece from its special exhibition. In a statement, You expressed his decision to resign in order to "restore the museum's tarnished honor," acknowledging that the mistake was his own and accepting full responsibility for the incident.

The public and cultural sector figures have been critical of You, despite his apologies and public bowing before lawmakers at a parliamentary audit. Calls for his resignation continued, with critics arguing that an apology alone was insufficient for the situation.

You, an esteemed art historian and author, had been serving as the director of the National Museum of Korea since July of last year, following his tenure as head of the Cultural Heritage Administration from 2004 to 2008.