Hoam calligraphy, Kim Ki-chang paintings among Saemteo originals heading to auction

Original artworks and collection pieces from Saemteo, the monthly magazine that suspended publication indefinitely due to financial difficulties, are heading to auction.

K Auction announced Monday it will offer 60 lots in a premium online auction on July 21 — 49 original artworks that appeared on the cover and interior pages of Saemteo, along with 11 pieces from the magazine's separate collection. The combined starting bid total is 80 million won ($52,000).

The highlight of the sale is "Gongsurae Gongsugeo" (1981), a calligraphy work by Hoam Lee Byung-chull, founder of Samsung Group. The piece hung in the Saemteo chairman's office for many years and is being offered at auction for the first time, with a starting bid of 15 million won. The phrase — meaning "we come with empty hands and leave with empty hands" — encapsulates Hoam's management philosophy and his approach to life.

Also on offer is "Panorama 2008" by Park Sun-ki, an installation artist internationally recognized for suspending charcoal in midair with nylon thread, with a starting bid of 8 million won. A six-piece set of "Chaekgado" — considered among the finest examples of late Joseon folk painting — starts at 5 million won.

Among the magazine originals, Park No-su's "Sansudo" (1 million won), which appeared on the cover of the January 1977 issue of Wolgan Saemteo, Son Eung-seong's "Suburban Landscape" (4 million won) from the July 1977 cover, Kim Ki-chang's "Ceramics" (3 million won) from the interior of the February 1972 issue, and Song Su-nam's "Morning Glory" (500,000 won) from the August 1970 interior will also go under the hammer.

Saemteo was founded in 1970 by former National Assembly Speaker Kim Jae-soon as a general-interest magazine "for the happiness of ordinary people." It became a fixture of Korean life, priced cheaper than a pack of cigarettes and committed to writing exclusively in hangul.

Leading literary figures of the era — including Pi Cheon-deuk, Buddhist monk Beopjeong, Choi In-ho, Sister Lee Hae-in and Jeong Chae-bong — served as regular contributors, while novelist Han Kang and poet Jeong Ho-seung both worked on the editorial staff.

From its earliest days in the 1970s, when galleries and museums felt out of reach for most people, Saemteo also brought art into everyday life by featuring original works by leading contemporary artists on its covers. Masters of the Korean art world — including Kim Ki-chang, Park No-su, Son Eung-seong, Jang Woo-seong, Kim Tae and Song Su-nam — reached millions of readers nationwide each month through the magazine's covers and interior pages.

Saemteo suspended publication after its 598th issue in December 2019, then briefly returned with a 50th-anniversary commemorative edition in April 2020 thanks to reader support, before going on indefinite hiatus with its January 2026 issue. The auction is expected to serve as a tribute to the magazine's 56-year journey.

A preview exhibition will run from July 11 through July 21 at K Auction's gallery in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Bidding will be open around the clock on the K Auction website.