The royal seal of Queen Munjeong of Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) may finally be returned almost 60 years after it was stolen by the U.S. army during the Korean War.
Buddhist monk Hye Moon, the president of a cultural organization called “Restoring Cultural Properties in Their Rightful Place” (Munhwajae Jejari Chatgi) and Korean and American Buddhist communities requested LACMA the return of the royal seal to Korea.
In response, the museum has asked that they present evidence confirming the seal was indeed stolen.
Ardelia Hall Records, which mention the U.S. army's theft of 47 royal seals, including Queen Munjeong's, during the Korean War, is stored in the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration in Maryland, Monk Hye Moon and Kim Jeong-kwang, the cultural director of Korean Buddhism in the Americas said in a letter addressed to LACMA
“Please return the royal seal of Queen Munjeong, an emblem of our national identity, to Korea as soon as possible,” they wrote.
"The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has not been contacted by the Korean government with respect to the return of the seal, and has no information to suggest the seal was stolen," said Stephen Little, the curator and head of the Chinese and Korean Art Department.
Little has requested that they present written evidence proving the theft of the seal, a document verifying that the Korean government contacted the U.S. about the matter, and a copy of the Ardelia Hall Records.
Monk Hye Moon, Kim, and Ahn Min-seok of the Democratic Party (DP), who pushed for a resolution that strives for the return of Queen Munjeong's royal seal, plan to negotiate a deal with LACMA on the 11th.
LACMA's announcement of their official position should be taken as a positive sign that the negotiation will go smoothly, Monk Hye Moon said.
Monk Hye Moon currently possesses all the necessary evidence that LACMA requested. The Korean government has also been informed about the theft through Ahn's resolution.
The U.S. has consistently abided by the London Declaration of 1943 and returned cultural properties that were confirmed as stolen. New York Metropolitan Museum of Art returned two 10th Century Khmer statues to Cambodia last May.