Returned royal seals open to public view

The royal seal of Queen Munjeong, front , and the royal seal of King Hyeonjong are on display at "The Return of the Royal Seals" exhibition at the National Palace Museum of Korea, Friday. / Yonhap

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Royal seals from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), including those returned home from the United States after being looted, are on view at the National Palace Museum of Korea in central Seoul, starting Saturday.

The centerpieces of "The Return of the Royal Seals" exhibit are the royal seal of Queen Munjeong and the royal seal of King Hyeonjong, which were illegally taken out of Korea over 65 years ago. The two "eobo," or royal seals, were returned home in July, accompanied by President Moon Jae-in heading back to Korea from his first summit with U.S President Donald Trump.

The mid-Joseon era seal was in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), which purchased them from a private collector in 2000.

The Korean National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage studied Korean artifacts in the U.S. museums and found the looted seal and the country's Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) asked the U.S. to return the cultural assets to its rightful home.

The royal seal of Queen Munjeong is about 10x10 centimeters in size and in guilt bronze. It was produced in 1547 and reproduced in 1554, after being burnt in 1553. Joseon's 13th King Myeongjong created the seal to commemorate a eulogistic title given to his mother when she was ruling as regent.

King Hyeonjong's royal seal is made from jade and was created in 1651 to mark his becoming crown prince. It was in possession of the collector who sold Queen Munjeong's royal seal to the museum and later confiscated by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations along with Queen Munjeong's seal.

The seals were stored in the Jongmyo (the royal ancestral shrine) and assumed to be looted from the shrine during the 1950-53 Korean War at an unknown time, the CHA said.

The royal seals were used for ceremonial purpose and represent the legitimacy and authority of the state and royal family.

'Deokjongeobo' turns out to be reproduction

The exhibit also features other royal seals returned home in recent years.

"Deokjong Eobo," or the royal seal of King Deokjong, donated by the Seattle Art Museum in 2015 is one of them.

This seal sparked controversy as it was originally promoted as a 15th-century relic, but later turned out to be reproduced in the early 20th century.

Originally, the CHA announced that the seal was produced in 1471 by Joseon's ninth King Seongjong in honor of his late father King Deokjong (1438-1457).

However, research conducted after the return revealed that it was made after the 1924 robbery at the Jongmyo shrine.

Ven. Hyemun, the Buddhist priest who leads the civic group dedicated to reclaiming Korean cultural assets, criticized the CHA for self-praising its achievement.

The CHA explained that the royal seals in question are reproduced, but not fake.

"The seal was lost during the Japanese colonial era and there is a document proving that it was reproduced by the Joseon Craftwork Manufactory immediately after the theft and enshrined in Jongmyo. We didn't know it was a reproduction when we retrieved it from Seattle and later found out it was not from the 15th century," the CHA said.

The exhibit runs through Oct. 29. For more information, visit www.gogung.go.kr or call 02-3701-7500.

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