11 Cultural Heritage Smuggling Suspects Arrested... 92 Items Seized

Scheduled for Transfer to the National Palace Museum "Strict Punishment for Violations"

Don-gwe (Gapjin Gye Chun-ui Gye So-bi)

Several individuals attempting to smuggle our cultural heritage out of the country were caught by the police.

On the 15th, the Cultural Heritage Administration and Daejeon Police Agency reported that eleven people were booked without detention on charges of violating the Cultural Heritage Protection Act and were sent to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment. Seven of them are foreigners: three Japanese, two Chinese, one Vietnamese, and one German. They entered the country for purposes such as tourism, purchased cultural properties, and tried to smuggle them abroad by hiding them in travel bags. Some used international express mail services at international post offices and falsely declared the items being shipped.

The police seized a total of ninety-two cultural properties. The types are diverse, including wooden artifacts, ceramics, and ancient books. Some are evaluated to have high cultural value. A representative example is a money box with a handwritten inscription inside the lid that reads 'Gapjin Gyechun Uigyesobi.' It was made for use by the Uigye, a merchant organization during the Joseon Dynasty, and reveals not only the production period but also the user and purpose. The 'Yulgok Seonsaeng Jeonseo,' a reprint of Yulgok's collected works, and the 'Juja Daejeon,' published by the Jeolla Provincial Government Office, also provide insights into the social conditions and Neo-Confucian trends of the late Joseon period.

Woodcraft

The police plan to hand over the seized cultural properties to the National Palace Museum of Korea. The Cultural Heritage Administration intends to strengthen the Cultural Heritage Appraisal Office and enhance cooperation with the Korea Customs Service, Korea Post, and the Korea Airports Corporation. An official warned, "When exporting artifacts that could be mistaken for cultural properties, it is mandatory to complete the non-cultural property verification process," adding, "If smuggling abroad is detected, severe punishment will be imposed."