Help translating a Korean inscription, please

[gloxinia]

I've got a Korean silver bowl, marked with the Hangul mark on the bottom for pure silver.  But this bowl also has an inscription on the outside - possibly a dedication or memorial?  Could someone kindly translate it for me?  Thanks for looking.

[argon38 · Accepted solution]

 I should stress that I can neither speak nor read Korean. Having said that, the characters look to me like they could be:

김옥윤

which is a female name, Kim Ok-yoon (Kim being the family name, not the given name).

A woman named Kim Ok-yoon (1901-1990) was the wife of South Korean statesman Chang Myon (1899-1966). I have no idea if she had anything to do with your bowl. She is mentioned very briefly in this Wikipedia article about her husband:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang_Myon 

She also has a dedicated entry on the Korean Wikipedia:

https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EA%B9%80%EC%98%A5%EC%9C%A4 

Searching for information about Kim Ok-yoon (김옥윤) is a confusing business as there a living former First Lady of South Korea, born 1947, with a different, but very similar name: Kim Yoon-ok (김윤옥).

[gloxinia]

That was really helpful.  I am in the Washington, DC area, with a lot of international diplomats and government agencies hosting international dignitaries, so it is possible that it was a presentation gift to the woman you mention.  I will wait to see if anyone else has another idea about the characters.

I thank you so much for your time, effort and helpfulness.  

[argon38]

Here are some photos of the family home of Chang Myon and Kim Ok-yoon, which is now a museum:

https://onion02.tistory.com/669 

Again, she may well not be the Kim Ok-yoon whose name is inscribed on your bowl. Just letting you have the information I uncovered.

[sonomabarn67]

I like the pump water-feature. I built 2 similar in the garden in the back.

[gloxinia]

Thank you again, Argon38.  I will list this bowl with the info you've given, although I imagine it may only be bought by a scrap dealer anyway.  But maybe there is someone who'd be interested in having it - perhaps a Korean individual with the same name.  

[sonomabarn67]

You should keep researching it as it could bring more than scrap and save a bit of history in the process.

[argon38]

I agree with Sonomabarn that further research might bring dividends, unless you need a quick sale.

[sonomabarn67]

I always sell the lesser stuff and keep the better stuff until completely researched. Nothing like seeing one of one's treasures on the block...consigned by someone who bought it from you...

[gloxinia]

I  thank you again for your most helpful translation.  I suppose I could contact the Korean Embassy, but otherwise a 'little research' is difficult for someone who doesn't read or speak Korean.  I've got a lot of stuff that's more up my ally (glass,pottery) bto list and a lot of other things to research, so I may just hold on to it for a while.