Seoul Auction will hold its 193rd Art Auction at 4 p.m. on June 23 at Seoul Auction Gangnam Center. K Auction will hold its June auction at 4 p.m. on June 24 at its headquarters in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Seoul Auction will offer 127 lots, with a total low estimate of approximately KRW 11 billion (approx. USD 7.28 million), while K Auction will present 107 lots, estimated at around KRW 12 billion (approx. USD 7.95 million). Together, the two auctions comprise 234 lots, with a combined estimate of approximately KRW 23 billion (approx. USD 15.23 million).
 
Among the key lots in this month’s auctions are Ahn Jung-geun’s treasure-designated calligraphy Baegindangjungyutaehwa (百忍堂中有泰和) and Chun Kyung-ja’s 1964 work Market.
 
Ahn’s calligraphy marks the first time a treasure-designated work by Ahn Jung-geun has appeared at auction in Korea, while Chun’s Market is also making its auction debut. Both works are notable not only for their rarity but also for their historical and art-historical contexts.

K Auction: Ahn Jung-geun’s Calligraphy and Handwritten Works by Korean Historical Figures
 
Ahn Jung-geun’s handwritten calligraphy Baegindangjungyutaehwa (百忍堂中有泰和) was written in 1910 while Ahn was imprisoned in Lüshun Prison. The phrase means, “In a household where one endures a hundred times, great peace and harmony will prevail.” The work is designated as Treasure No. 569-1 and carries an opening bid of KRW 1.6 billion (approx. USD 1.06 million).
 
This is the first time a treasure-designated calligraphic work by Ahn Jung-geun has appeared in a Korean auction. The work is being presented together with related materials concerning Ahn’s death sentence, adding historical context and documentary value. Rather than being understood simply as a work of calligraphy, it may be viewed as both a historical document and a cultural-property-level lot connected to the symbolic legacy of modern Korean history.
 
Other handwritten works by major historical figures, including Ryu Seong-ryong, Kim Jeong-hui, Kim Gu, and Shin Young-bok, will also be offered in the sale.

In the modern and contemporary art section, Yoo Youngkuk’s 1974 work Mountain will be offered. Presented in the year marking the 110th anniversary of Yoo’s birth, the work carries an estimate of KRW 500 million to KRW 800 million (approx. USD 331,000 to USD 530,000). The sale also includes works by major figures in Korean modern and contemporary art, including Lee Ufan’s From Point and Park Seo-bo’s early Écriture work No. 1-82.
 
For these works, the result is likely to be determined not simply by the artist’s name but by each work’s date, scale, condition, provenance, and estimate. In particular, works by Yoo Youngkuk and major Dansaekhwa artists have recently shown results that vary significantly depending on the specific conditions of each work. The key point will be how steadily these works attract bidding within their estimate ranges.
 
 
 
Seoul Auction: Chun Kyung-ja’s Market and Major Works of Korean Modern and Contemporary Art
 
The leading lot in Seoul Auction’s 193rd Art Auction is Chun Kyung-ja’s 1964 work Market. This large-scale color-on-paper work measures 102 × 145 cm and will appear at auction for the first time. It carries an estimate of KRW 800 million to KRW 1.5 billion (approx. USD 530,000 to USD 993,000).

Market was produced before Chun began her major overseas travels in 1969 and reflects the style and formal characteristics of her work from the first half of the 1960s. The composition, densely filled with figures and objects, its vivid colors, and its narrative atmosphere are closely connected to the pictorial world Chun was developing during that period.

The fact that the work appears in a 1964 photograph of the artist’s studio in Ogin-dong is also significant, as it helps confirm the work’s date and history.
 
Chun’s works have been consistently traded in the Korean modern and contemporary art market, but Market carries additional significance as a work appearing at auction for the first time. Its scale, date, verifiable provenance, and position within the artist’s career all require consideration.

The sale will also include Nam June Paik’s King Sejong and an early work by Kim Kulim. Paik’s work is connected to the international standing of Korean art, while Kim’s early work relates to the history of Korean experimental art. Other works by major modern and contemporary Korean artists, including Byun Shi-ji, Hwang Yeom-su, and Lee Ufan, will also be presented.
 
In the international art section, Andy Warhol’s complete set of ten Flowers screenprints will appear in a Korean auction for the first time. The set is estimated at KRW 1.9 billion to KRW 2.5 billion (approx. USD 1.26 million to USD 1.66 million). The presentation of a complete set from one of Warhol’s most recognizable print series is expected to draw attention. Works by KAWS, Yayoi Kusama, and David Hockney are also included in the sale.

Seoul Auction’s June sale brings together major works of Korean modern and contemporary art with international blue-chip works, led by Chun Kyung-ja’s Market. In particular, Chun’s Market and Warhol’s complete Flowers set are both appearing in the Korean auction market for the first time, making rarity and the appropriateness of the estimates important factors in the sale results.
 
 
 
Key Point of the June Auctions: A Market Looking Beyond Artist Names
 
The June auctions suggest that the Korean art market continues to operate selectively. More important than the total sale value or the names of major artists are the specific conditions of each work. Ahn Jung-geun’s calligraphy is a special lot combining historical symbolism and documentary value, while Chun Kyung-ja’s Market is a rare modern Korean painting that reflects the artist’s work of the 1960s. Both works are likely to form value in ways different from ordinary blue-chip demand.
 
The same standard applies to established figures in Korean modern and contemporary art, including Yoo Youngkuk, Lee Ufan, Park Seo-bo, and Ha Chong-hyun. In an adjusted market, bidding does not automatically follow an artist’s name. The date, scale, quality, condition, provenance, and suitability of the estimate all matter. The main point of interest is therefore not simply whether the major works sell, but how steadily they attract bidding within their estimate ranges.
 
Ultimately, the June auctions appear less as a sign of market expansion than as a test of more narrowed and precise market criteria. Works with historical value, clear art-historical significance, provenance, and rarity are likely to retain demand. By contrast, works relying primarily on name recognition may face stricter evaluation. The results will show which works the Korean art market is prepared to select—and which works it is not prepared to price with the same confidence.
 

 
Auction Information
 
Seoul Auction
 
Auction: June 23, 2026, 4 p.m.
Preview: June 12–23, 2026
Venue: Seoul Auction Gangnam Center
Address: 864 Eonju-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Website: https://www.seoulauction.com
 
 
K Auction
 
Auction: June 24, 2026, 4 p.m.
Preview: June 13–24, 2026
Venue: K Auction Headquarters, Sinsa-dong
Address: Art Tower, 23 Eonju-ro 172-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Website: https://www.k-auction.com