Korea ramps up efforts to bring back looted treasures

Korea ramps up efforts to rebuild cultural heritage

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Earlier this month, a rare and intricate mother-of-pearl lacquerware box from the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) was returned to Korea from a private collector in Japan.

The return is one of the achievements of the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation (OKCHF), an affiliate of the Cultural Heritage Administration established in 2012 with the aim of discovering and retrieving Korean artifacts from abroad.

The lacquerware box is one of the OKCHF's successes, following the return of a "dallyeong," a wedding robe, from the St. Ottilien Archabbey in Germany in February.

According to the foundation, it had located over 193,000 Korean cultural properties in 21 countries as of April 1. Forty-two percent, or 81,889 artifacts, are in Japan, followed by the U.S. (27.5 percent), China (6.7 percent) Germany (6.3 percent) and the U.K. (4 percent).

"Not all Korean cultural assets overseas are taken out illegally. Some were gifts or exported at the time of production. We try to recover those that have been smuggled out or ones that were looted and purchase those of high historical or artistic value so they can be preserved here in Korea and research can be carried out on them," an official of the OKCHF said.

The foundation uses a variety of methods including purchases, donations, negotiations and legal proceedings.

"The process varies for individual cases. In general, we research the object thoroughly, including its provenance. We also investigate the actual object to appraise its authenticity and value," the official said.

"As not all of the cultural assets overseas are bound to be recovered, we put much effort into determining the appropriateness of the return by consulting experts."

Previously, the foundation mostly purchased artifacts from auctions, but expanded their endeavors to locate those not up for auction. The recently acquired lacquerware box from the private collector is an example.

"To find more Korean cultural properties abroad, we plan to put up a purchase announcement and buy those that we are able to," the official said.

The foundation said it was important to secure a budget to retrieve important cultural assets at the right time. Approximately 5.7 billion won ($4.7 million) has been allocated for the foundation to retrieve properties this year.

"Valuable cultural properties could be pricey and we cannot predict when an important artifact pops up on the market. The government's budget is planned in a yearly manner and we cannot respond flexibly when a valuable artwork or sculpture comes up for sale," the official said. "If private companies which are interested in cultural value were to make donations, it would be a great help."

For those that cannot be returned to Korea, the foundation supports their restoration and preservation so they can be properly acknowledged and used to promote Korean culture.

Park Chi-sun, an expert in art conservation and a cultural heritage professor at Yong In University, collaborates with the foundation in restoring overseas cultural assets.

The conservator tries to restore Korean paintings to their original style, as they have often been altered to reflect Chinese or Japanese styles due to lack of appreciation of Korean art and culture at the time.

"Whether a figure in a painting is wearing Korean hanbok or Japanese kimono could change the whole image. There are only a few people who specialize in Korean culture at overseas museums and institutions, so many Korean artifacts were repaired by other Asian art experts, and they are sometimes distorted during the restoration process," Park said.

"Even in Korea, many cultural assets were altered under Japanese colonial rule, making it difficult to find its original shape. So I spent much time researching the original state of Joseon paintings."

Park pointed out that some Korean cultural properties overseas could promote a prestigious image of Korea where thay are.

Park mentioned the case of the "Yeongsanhoesangdo" (Preaching Sakyamuni Buddha), which was returned from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) to the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism in June. The late Joseon era Buddhist painting, originally housed in the Sinheung Temple in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, was presumed to have been looted by American soldiers right after the 1950-53 Korean War.

Park is the person who restored the painting which had been cut into six pieces. "The LACMA has many Korean artifacts in their collection and wants them to be restored and conserved in the Korean way. That's why they invited me to research and preserve their Korean paintings," Park said.

"Yeongsanhoesangdo is the largest Korean Buddhist painting in the U.S. When I repaired and restored it back in 2010, the LACMA emptied a gallery to make enough room for the preservation process and visitors could see the process. I think it had a great publicity effect both for Korean culture and cultural heritage restoration."

Park said staying overseas could benefit the object and Korea's all important and unrelenting quest for recognition of its very existence, in some cases.

"It could be the sole Korean cultural heritage item the institution might have. It could be properly preserved and researched there and lead to a possible exhibition on Korean culture. However, if it is returned to Korea, it is just one of many and mostly stays in museum storage spaces after one celebratory display upon its return," he noted.

"We are biased toward patriotism regarding the return of Korean cultural heritage items from overseas. If it was stolen or illegally taken out, it should be returned, but if not, it could stay abroad and promote Korean culture there. It is important for the cultural asset to pull its own weight, whether in Korea or not."

Park suggested transferring the ownership of items to Korea with overseas institutions exhibiting them on loan as a solution.

"When exhibiting overseas, it is difficult to take high quality cultural assets out of Korea. If there is a well-preserved Korean artifact abroad, it could draw interest in Korea and its culture," he said.