Editor's Note: The following opinion article is contributed by Choe Chong-dae, a longstanding member of the Royal Asiatic Society Korea and an enthusiast of international cultural and historical affairs.
October 10, 2026, marks the centennial of a truly historic event: the excavation of the Seobongchong (Seobong Tomb) golden crown in Gyeongju.
In October 1926, a remarkable encounter between European royalty and East Asian antiquity unfolded in the ancient city of Gyeongju. Swedish Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf — who would later become King Gustaf VI Adolf — visited Korea with his wife, Princess Louise, as part of an extensive tour of East Asian archaeological sites. His journey was far more than a diplomatic formality. He took a direct interest in the excavation of an ancient Silla tomb and witnessed the discovery of one of Korea’s most remarkable golden crowns.
The Crown Prince participated in the excavation of the Silla-era tomb, where a spectacular golden crown was unearthed. He reportedly remarked that the thrill of such a discovery “surpasses becoming king.”
The excavation involved Korean figures including Choe Nam-ju, then a young aspiring archaeologist who witnessed the historic discovery. The tomb was subsequently named Seobongchong (瑞鳳塚). The first character, Seo (瑞), was associated with Sweden, while Bong (鳳) referred to the phoenix ornament on the golden crown and chong (塚) mean tomb.
A century later, Gustaf VI Adolf is remembered not merely as a visiting royal, but as a dedicated scholar whose passion for archaeology helped create a remarkable bridge between Sweden and Korea through their shared appreciation of cultural heritage.
The Silla golden crowns have since become icons of Korean cultural identity, while the 1926 excavation remains a lasting reminder that the study and preservation of human history can transcend borders, titles and time.
As we commemorate this centennial, we remember Gustaf VI Adolf — grandfather of Sweden’s current monarch, King Carl XVI Gustaf — not simply as a royal visitor, but as a scholar with a genuine passion for archaeology. His experience in Gyeongju led to a lifelong connection with Choe Nam-ju and, through him, with the Choe family.
Remarkably, this was not a fleeting encounter. For decades, King Gustaf VI Adolf and his daughter, Princess Ingrid — who later became Queen of Denmark and the mother of Queen Margrethe II — maintained a lasting friendship with Choe Nam-ju and his family through personal correspondence. This enduring relationship, rooted in their shared experience of the 1926 excavation, illustrates how cultural and intellectual ties can develop into friendships that transcend borders, social standing and generations.
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark made a state visit to Korea from October 8 to 12, 2007. During the visit, she had planned to visit the Seobong Tomb in Gyeongju under the guidance of Choe Nam-ju’s son, but the visit could not take place because of scheduling constraints. On October 9, however, I had the privilege of meeting Queen Margrethe II at a banquet in Seoul hosted by the Danish Ambassador, Poul O. G. Hoiness.
The Korea–Sweden connection also acquired a humanitarian dimension after the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950. Sweden, Denmark and Norway demonstrated their solidarity with Korea by providing vital medical assistance. Sweden dispatched medical personnel and established the Swedish Red Cross Field Hospital in Busan, the first non-American and non-Korean medical unit to operate during the war.
Together with Norway’s Mobile Army Surgical Hospital and Denmark’s hospital ship Jutlandia, the Scandinavian medical missions treated tens of thousands of wounded civilians and soldiers. Their assistance continued after the war through medical expertise and financial support, contributing to the development of medical institutions in Korea, including the hospital that later became the Korean National Medical Center.
Following the Korean War Armistice Agreement in 1953, the Military Armistice Commission and the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) were established under the United Nations Command to help supervise implementation of the agreement.
Against this backdrop, the personal connection between Sweden and my father continued. Swedish doctors who had served at the Swedish Red Cross Field Hospital in Busan conveyed the warm regards of King Gustaf VI Adolf to Choe Nam-ju. In the mid-1950s, Swedish members of the NNSC delegation stationed at Panmunjom also paid a courtesy visit to my father’s home in Gyeongju and conveyed the King’s greetings. A Swiss NNSC delegation subsequently visited him as well.
Remarkably, Choe Nam-ju forged a profound professional and personal bond with King Gustaf VI Adolf despite their vastly different social backgrounds, and long before official diplomatic relations were established between Korea and Sweden.
Whenever a Korean ambassador presented his credentials in Stockholm, the King reportedly recalled his excavation experience in Gyeongju with Choe Nam-ju. This relatioship became so well known that incoming Korean ambassadors would customarily pay a courtesy call on Choe in Gyeongju.
In 1973, King Gustaf VI Adolf extended an invitation to Choe Nam-ju to visit Sweden, recalling their remarkable experience at the Seobong Tomb excavation in Gyeongju. Tragically, the invitation came only months before the King’s death later that year.
Following his death, his grandson, Carl XVI Gustaf, succeeded him as King of Sweden. The relationship between the Swedish royal family and the Choe family, however, did not end with the passing of Gustaf VI Adolf.
In 1975, Choe Nam-ju accepted an invitation to visit Sweden from King Carl XVI Gustaf. During the visit, he had the honor of meeting the new King at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, as well as Swedish government officials and members of the public. The visit further strengthened the people-to-people diplomacy that had begun with the 1926 excavation.
While in Sweden, Choe Nam-ju also paid his respects at the tomb of the late King Gustaf VI Adolf, accompanied by Jang Sang-moon, the Korean ambassador to Sweden.
Throughout the remainder of his life, my father remained wholeheartedly committed to promoting cultural exchange between Korea and Sweden. He continued this work until his passing in 1980.
The relationship continued into the next generation. In 1994, King Carl XVI Gustaf visited the Seobong Tomb site in Gyeongju and planted a commemorative tree. During the visit, he was accompanied by my brother, Choe Chong-pil, then a professor of archaeology at Sejong University, who explained to the King the history of the excavation and its significance.
Together, they also observed the evergreen fir tree that had been planted by King Gustaf VI Adolf in the courtyard of the former National Museum of Gyeongju.
Another significant milestone came in 2010, when my brother Choe Chong-pil and I were awarded the prestigious Royal Swedish Order of the Polar Star. The honors were presented by Swedish Ambassador to Korea Dr. Lars Vargö at the ambassador’s residence in Seoul on July 23, 2010, on behalf of King Carl XVI Gustaf, in recognition of our efforts to promote Swedish culture and strengthen friendship between Sweden and Korea.
This honor came nearly four decades after our father, Choe Nam-ju, received the Royal Swedish Order of Vasa, “Knighthood,” First Class, in 1971. According to Swedish royal records, he was the first person from East Asia to receive this distinction.
Thus, three Swedish royal decorations have been bestowed upon members of the Choe family across two generations. These honors represent not merely personal achievements, but recognition of a family’s multigenerational dedication to cultural exchange and friendship between Korea and Sweden, reflecting an honor shared by our entire nation.
The family’s connection with Sweden also extended to the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm. On September 2, 2004, my brother and I attended the reopening ceremony of the museum and had the privilege of an audience with King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.
In February 2012, Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia attended the inauguration of a new Korean Gallery at the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, further underscoring the importance of Korea–Sweden cultural exchange.
The Choe family played a role in the establishment of the Korean Gallery and worked closely with the Korean government in support of this important cultural initiative.
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia subsequently paid a state visit to Korea at the invitation of President Lee Myung-bak in May 2012. My brother, Dr. Choe Chong-pil, professor of archaeology, and I were honored to attend the welcoming dinner hosted by the President at the Blue House on May 30, 2012.
From the excavation of a Silla tomb in Gyeongju in 1926 to royal meetings in Stockholm and Seoul nearly a century later, the story of the Choe family and Sweden is one of enduring cultural friendship.
The golden crown of Seobongchong stands at the center of this remarkable history. What began as an archaeological discovery involving a Swedish Crown Prince and a Korean scholar developed into a lasting relationship between two countries and, more personally, between two families.
The Choe family has nurtured this unique relationship with Sweden across generations and remains committed to carrying the legacy forward. The story of Seobongchong reminds us that cultural diplomacy does not always begin in government offices. Sometimes, it begins in the soil of an ancient tomb, through a shared fascination with the past, and grows through friendship, scholarship and mutual respect.
One hundred years after the golden crown emerged from the earth of Gyeongju, its significance extends far beyond archaeology. It remains a symbol of how the preservation of cultural heritage can build bridges between people and nations — bridges that can endure for generations.
[About the Columnist: Choe Chong-dae is a prominent columnist and a longstanding member of the Royal Asiatic Society Korea. An enthusiast of international cultural and historical affairs, he has contributed regular opinion columns to The Korea Times for more than four decades. He also serves on the editorial board of the Newsletter of the Korea-America Association and is the founding director of the Korea–Swedish Association. In 2010, he was awarded Sweden's Royal Order of the Polar Star, one of the country's most prestigious honors.]
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