The royal seal bestowed on a crown prince of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) will return to South Korea from a U.S. museum next week, decades after it was illegally carried out of the country, the Seoul government said Wednesday.
The Cultural Heritage Administration said it will hold a ceremony to mark the seal’s return at a Seoul museum on Wednesday, next week.
The seal of Deokjong (1438-1457) was made at the order of Deokjong’s son, King Seongjong, in 1471, to honor his father who died young and was granted with the posthumous title.
Historical records say the item was kept at the Jongmyo Shrine along with other royal seals. It remains unknown when and how the seal of Deokjong was taken out of the country. It has been kept in the Seattle Art Museum since 1963, a year after Thomas D. Stimson, an American art collector, purchased it in New York and donated to the museum.
The CHA and the Seattle museum began negotiations for the return of the relic in July last year and agreed on the return four months later.
The CHA said at the top of the seal is a realistic depiction of a turtle which shows the dignity and elegance of the Joseon royal court.
The authority rated this as a good example of international cooperation for the voluntary return of Korean cultural assets illegally taken out of the country.
Wednesday’s ceremony will be attended by Kimerly Rorschach, chief of the Seattle museum, and Frank S. Bayley, grandson of the late Stimson, officials said. (Yonhap)
