Gov't reveals 29 lost state seals

Seal of state / Courtesy of CHA

The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) registered 29 seals of state, lost during the Japanese occupation (1910-1945), as "stolen cultural heritage," the administration said Tuesday.

The seals of state, including three the Japanese have been confirmed to have stolen, were produced during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910).

According to historical recordings, the Japanese took away Korea's seals of state in 1911, six months after annexation. The seals of state are stamps that were used by the king or emperor to symbolize royal power. Six seals were handed over to the Japanese Government-General of Korea, three of which have been returned. The whereabouts of the other three are still unknown.

The remaining stolen pieces that had not been acknowledged officially are still unreturned. The CHA, which had not revealed the artifacts were missing until now, said it decided to make it public to facilitate their return.

Korea currently owns seven seals of state, four of which were designated as national treasures after they were returned in 2000. One was purchased by the government from a Korean-American and three were returned by the U.S. government in 2014.

The CHA also released information on 47 "eobo" which were also stolen. Eobo resemble seals of state but are used for decorating the tombs of kings rather than governance.

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