뉴스레터

Uigwe of the Joseon dynasty taken to
Japan

A cultural property, which embodies the spirit of a nation, is a witness to history. In order to preserve the witness' memory in its most vivid form, the witness should be left in its original place and form. The defacement and loss of a cultural property destroys a scene of history and puts a people's authentic way of life into disarray. Culture properties have suffered damage all throughout the ages. Some have been snuck out of the country in their entirety while others have had bits and pieces cut off. Of the cultural properties that have been taken out of Korea, the vast majority was taken out but a century ago by imperialist powers. Returning them to their original place would be crucial in the effort to overcome the tragic past and restore world cultural heritage.

The year 2010 was the centennial of Japan's forced annexation of Korea. Many academic conferences were held to criticize the illegality of Japan's colonial rule and brutal exploitation and reflect on the tragic past. The return of Korean cultural properties taken overseas also became a hot topic of discussion. The Meeting of Korean and Japanese Historians held in October 2010 in Tokyo provided a lot of food for thought on the matter of cultural properties.

Throughout history, Korea has been the target of an especially large share of foreign aggression. As such, a large number of Korean cultural properties were destroyed, damaged, or taken out of the country during the Imjin War and Shinmiyangyo [U.S. expedition to Korea in 1871], Byeonginyangyo [French expedition to Korea in 1866], Japanese colonial rule over Korea, and Korean War. The turn of the 20th century was an especially dire time for Korean cultural properties as many were plundered, illegally excavated, and smuggled out of Korea. It is heart-wrenching to see Korean cultural relics registered and exhibited as cultural properties of the countries where they have ended up.

According to the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea, 107,857 Korean cultural properties have been illegally taken out of Korea and housed in 347 museums and libraries in 18 countries as of December 2009. Japan (61,409 pieces), United States (27,726 pieces), and United Kingdom (3,628 pieces) have the largest number of Korean cultural properties, with Germany, Russia, and France following suit. These countries were the world powers during the Age of Imperialism, and thus, reflect the historical circumstances of the mid- 19th to mid-20th century. The actual number of Korean cultural properties that are now overseas is a lot higher given that the figures above do not account for those cultural properties kept at universities, research institutes and temples as well as those in the possession of individuals. In a report entitled "Historical Survey of Overseas of Activities of Japanese Nationals" issued by a Japanese government agency in 1950, it is said that when Japan annexed Korea, the Korean government, royal court, and Japanese Residency-General of Korea handed over some 110,000 books to the Japanese Government-General of Korea. This piece of record is indicative of the massive volume of Korean cultural properties that have been taken out of the country.

Cultural properties are witnesses to history

Bukgwandaecheopbi
returned in 2005

The Korean government and NGOs have put in a lot of effort into the retrieval of Korean cultural properties from abroad. Immediately after liberation, for instance, the Chin-Tan Society put in a request to the General Headquarters of Supreme Commander of Allied Powers for the return of Korean cultural properties housed at Japanese libraries, museums, and art galleries. The issue of the legality of the cultural properties taken out of Korea surfaced in the negotiations for the agreement on cultural properties in the course of the normalization talks between Korea and Japan in 1965. After much heated debate, the term "transfer" was chosen over "return"—which suggests that the act of taking the cultural properties out of Korea had been illegal—and "give"—which suggests that the act had been legal. With the conclusion of the agreement, 1,326 cultural properties were returned to Korea in the following year.

Recently, Prime Minister Kan Naoto of Japan signed an agreement to "transfer [to Korea] 1,205 books that have come from the Korean Peninsula". The National Library of France has also agreed to return the books from Oegyujanggak (subsidiary library of the Joseon royal library). In 2006, a copy of the Joseon Wangjo Sillok [Annals of the Joseon Dynasty] kept at a storage facility in Mount Odae, which had been taken to the University of Tokyo during the colonial period, was returned to Korea. The year before that, Bukgwandaecheopbi (memorial for the great victory in Bukgwan), which had been erected in celebration of Korea's victory against Japan in the Imjin War, was returned to where it had originally been in North Korea. A committee for the retrieval of the 5-story pagoda of a provincial school in Icheon (currently at Okura Hotel, Tokyo)—built during the early Goryeo period and taken to Japan by businessman Okura Takenosuke [小倉武之助]—has been organized and is working on getting the pagoda back to Korea. It is regrettable, however, that it was through political negotiations that the return was decided, not through a shared understanding that the pagoda's return would contribute to healing the scars inflicted by a painful history.

Cultural properties' value as a common heritage of humanity

In a newspaper op-ed, the president of a university in Paris stated as follows: "We must abandon the belief that in returning the Uigwe (of the Joseon dynasty), France will face other legal problems… Uigwe [official records of court events] is a unique documentary record symbolizing Korean history and culture. We should not accuse the other of extreme nationalism in order to hide France's colonialist actions."

5-story pagoda of a
provincial school in
Icheon, whose return is
in the works

The return of cultural properties has to do with "extreme levels of illegality" or the "cultural identity" of the country from which the properties were taken. If a cultural property taken from another country is neglected in a dark storage facility where the cultural property's value as a historical resource remains untapped, it is only right that the cultural property is returned to the country of origin. It is wrong to refuse a request for the return of a cultural property based on strict interpretations of the law.

The following is stipulated in the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Code of Ethics for Museums, revised in 2004 at the 21st General Conference in Seoul: "Museums should be prepared to initiate dialogues for the return of cultural property to a country or people of origin. This should be undertaken in an impartial manner, based on scientific, professional and humanitarian principles as well as applicable local, national and international legislation, in preference to action at a governmental or political level."

However, before making demands for the return of Korea's cultural properties scattered throughout the world, we must undertake a thorough survey of their locations and status. Moreover, we must determine whether or not a cultural property was taken out of Korea in an illegal manner based on a strict and objective analysis of historical facts and international law. If we put our emotions first and demand the return of a cultural property without adequate research and survey, our attempt may fail miserably.

Most of the cultural properties confirmed to have been removed from Korea are at museums and libraries overseas. "A museum is not the ultimate owner of an artifact but its manager. A museum should serve as a venue for diverse collaborative efforts between the museum and the original owner". This a noteworthy point to keep in mind. A museum is not a storage facility or display case for artifacts. It is where new cultures are realized by inheriting past cultures and casting them in a new light. The value of Korean culture will be magnified when Korea makes an effort to return overseas cultural properties in Korea; introduce Korean culture to the world through research, surveys, excavations, and joint studies; and promote Korean culture as a common heritage of humanity.