Apparently it is pretty difficult to pronounce the word ‘Silhak’. If I say the word over the phone, five or six out of ten people don't understand it. "Si-rak?" "Si... what?" "Sil, Ak?" I wondered at first why they couldn't understand this simple word. On second thought, the word "Silhak" is not used that often these days, and it is not easy for modern people to see Silhak in their daily lives. So then, what kinds of people are working for the Museum of Silhak, which is supposedly for such a difficult area of study? What kind of work are they doing there? When you try to understand a certain place, there is no faster way to understand it than through people. For the Museum of Silhak, there is the head of the museum, Jang Deok-ho.

1. The Museum of Silhak is located next to the Birth Home of Dasan Jeong Yak-yong. Its geographic location implies a variety of things. As the Head of the Museum of Silhak, how do you feel about the museum other than in terms of visible suitability?

When we were planning to found the museum, several places were mentioned as candidates. The current location was selected in the end, but it is clear that the current location has the optimal geographical conditions, both then and now. That is why I feel all the more sorry that its surroundings, which could expand the meaning of the optimum, were subject to limitations from the start. If I go abroad, I have a meal at a museum. We should not easily pass over such trivial satisfaction points of visitors. The vicinity of the Museum of Silhak is a designated water-source protection area, so there are few restaurants nearby. Considering its beautiful view and optimal geographical conditions, I feel that it would have been better to establish a more flexible cultural administration.

2. Many issues of modern Korean society start from communication and relationships between people. In that respect, we could benefit from shedding new light on Dasan's theory of governing the people emphasizing his unique love for the people. Being based on this spirit, what kinds of efforts are made at the Museum of Silhak to communicate with the people (visitors)?

Many people think that Silhak is difficult. Museums are supposed to be places where people want to go for an outing and enjoy their time, but many of them force visitors to study. I don't like studying either (laughing). We put a lot of effort into to steering the museum away from becoming a place with too many letters and indoctrinating education. One of those efforts was to offer a humanistic journey to understanding Silhak. Although Silhak has become much easier and more accessible, we are still working on it. I hope that the Museum of Silhak becomes a place that people want to visit again and again, like parks or playgrounds.

3. What kind of museum is the Museum of Silhak? What kind of museum should it become?

The purpose of museums should be to develop living content in sync with the location. Even with the studies and research going on through the museum, its ultimate goal should be to deliver knowledge to people in an easier way. However, there are many people who study for themselves in museums. Museums are for everyone. Knowledge should be accumulated as public assets to share and enjoy. The Hangang River Research Project is one of them. Through this project, we are finding and documenting around 60 Silhak scholars who lived in Gyeonggi-do near the Hangang River, focusing on developing new content instead of finding relics. Museums are not taxidermied research centers. They should become a living cultural space. We should find a way to apply the knowledge discovered by our discerning researchers to more practical content. The spirit of Silhak is here. These are the duties of the researchers of the Museum of Silhak, as differentiated from other museums.

4. You have worked for the Curation Team and as a curator, chief curator, and head of museum at the Gyeonggi Provincial Museum for over 20 years. As a former curator and the head of the museum, you have witnessed the history of the Museum of Silhak since its foundation. How then would you explain the past, present, and future of the Museum of Silhak?

Silhak is not a study of the past. Silhak can be found anywhere, even in the present. All items and services that are useful for our life including IT and means of transportation can be deemed to be related to Silhak. Naturally, it will exist in the future. Silhak is one of the changes in the world. It is a field of study that tries to see preexisting things in a new way. The Confucianism of neo-Confucianism was a life philosophy. When neo-Confucianism became too idealistic and hollow, some scholars said that they should go back to the beginning. This was the first sprout of Silhak. If we see Silhak as a field of study that prepares for a better future, describing the present and future of the Museum of Silhak should become clearer to us.

Meeting the real Jang Deok-ho

1. You have been working at museums for almost 30 years. Considering your long career at museums, it seems that you would be able to see many things that others could not.

I have liked museums since I was in college. I was always involved in museums, and took a job as a research assistant at a museum. I have been working at museums for my whole life and have never had other jobs. Museums are very familiar places for me. After experiencing a variety of phenomena and functions of museums, I realized that it may be a problem that most of Korean museums were finished buildings. Just 5 years after opening, museums became saturated. After the construction of a museum building is completed, people worry about growing archives. This issue is repeated every time. I believe that cultural infrastructure should be established with a long-term perspective, as educational administration with a 100-year plan.

2. What are the differences between the Head of Museum Jang Deok-ho and your personal life as a father, husband, and middle-aged man?

In my personal life, it is difficult to stay in control. The ‘independent life’ is pretty difficult for me. I need to do things right when I am alone, but I smoke secretly after saying that I am going to quit smoking. Look at me sitting here. I never sit up straight. I can't put up with inconveniences, so it is seriously difficult for me to act as the head of an organization where I am supposed to serve as a model (laughing).

3. What is the most impressive thing to you among the aspects or works of Dasan Jeong Yak-yong?

Dasan was a broad-minded person. On the other hand, I think that I am a somewhat superficial person (laughing). When Dasan studied something, he went deep into the subject with his outstanding observation and thinking skills.

4. What is important to you in terms of values and a view of the world?

I recently realized something in a difficult way. It is the saying, "The gentleman aims for harmony, not at uniformity." Harmony starts from understanding others. However, it is pretty difficult. To understand others, you should respect their standards, rather than enforcing your own, and gain an interest in them with generosity. It is not as easy as it sounds, though. I think it will take some time for me to understand it.

5. If you could go back 10 years, what would you want to change the most in your life?

Looking back to 10 years ago, I was a big fish in a small pond. I went abroad for the first time in my 40s, in 2004, to the States for 10 days. Of course it was not a business trip. I have never gone on any special adventure in my life, so the trip to the States is one of my most special memories. I'm that kind of person. I have never been involved in a big accident or been hospitalized because of a disease. If I could change something, I would open myself up more. That's what I would like to do.

6. For what would you compliment yourself at this moment?

I have lived my life like an empty shell, so I have nothing to show off and nothing special. But I have never held enmity against anyone, and vice versa. That is the one thing for which I would compliment myself.

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