4 caught for selling old artworks via eBay

By Kang Hyun-kyung

An officer from Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency sorts culturally-valuable books and documents, which were retrieved after being traded illegally through auction site eBay by four people, at the agency, Thursday. / Yonhap

Police booked four people on Thursday for selling items regarded as cultural assets overseas through eBay, including valuable paintings of historical significance, books and other items.

The four, including a man surnamed Jang, 26, are charged with selling 159 items to customers living in the United States and Canada since August 2009.

Although the items are not registered as official cultural assets, there is a ban on the sale of such items abroad.

Jang and the three others chose eBay through which to conduct the illicit trade in the belief that the law enforcement authorities monitoring of the international website is loose and that the items uploaded would be cleared 90 days after being posted.

Of the 159 items sold overseas, police retrieved 86 in cooperation with U.S. authorities.

“We will crack down on criminals smuggling out cultural assets. We will retrieve such items,” said a police spokesman.