"Women at a Marketplace" (Sijangui Yeoindeul), a 1961 oil painting by Bak Su-geun (also written as Park Soo-keun, 1914-1965), widely believed to be one of the greatest Korean painters of the 20th century, sold at auction Wednesday for 2.5 billion won (US$2.6 million), the highest amount ever paid for at a regularly scheduled auction of Korean art in Korea. Bak's "Rest" (Hyusik), painted in 1963, sold for 1.05 billion won at the same event.

The auction was held by "K Auction," an auction company specializing in works of art.

The price exceeds the 1.62 billion won paid for a work of 7th century porcelain china titled Cheolhwa Baekja Unnyong Munho, sold through Seoul Auction in February, which itself had broken a record set in December at K Auction, when Bak's 1962 work "On The Road" (Nosang) sold for 1.04 billion won.

"Women at a Marketplace" is 24.9 cm tall and 62.4 cm wide, and depicts twelve women at a market, in various poses of sitting and standing. It is rare for Bak's works to have more than a few human subjects.

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