[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Ahead of the second trial verdict on the ownership of the Goryeo Dynasty gilt-bronze seated Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva statue brought into Korea from Japan by a thief, Buseoksa Temple in Seosan, Chungnam, has once again requested the statue be returned as per the first trial ruling.
The Buseoksa Statue Reinstallation Committee in Seosan appealed to the second trial court on the 25th through a press release, urging, "Please dismiss the defendant prosecution's appeal and issue a provisional execution order as in the first trial."
The statue in dispute is a gilt-bronze seated Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva statue, 50.5 cm tall and weighing 38.6 kg, stolen by Korean thieves from Kannonji Temple (?音寺) in Japan in October 2012 and brought into Korea. Buseoksa claims, based on the statue’s dedication inscription stating that "the statue was made to be enshrined in a temple in Seoju (the Goryeo-era name for Seosan) around 1330," that since the statue was plundered by Japanese pirates (Wako), it should be returned to its original owner, Korea.
Tanaka Setsuryo, the chief monk of Gwanonji Temple located in Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, is answering questions from the press after attending a trial regarding the ownership of a Goryeo Dynasty gilt-bronze seated Avalokitesvara statue held on the afternoon of June 15 last year at the Daejeon High Court in Dunsan-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon. [Image source=Yonhap News]
In January 2017, the first trial court ruled in favor of Buseoksa, concluding from various evidence that it was correct to view that the statue was taken by the Wako through abnormal means. However, the prosecution, representing the state, appealed, arguing that the authenticity of the statue and the dedication inscription must be clearly established, leading to a second trial that has lasted seven years.
Buseoksa argues, "Since the Cultural Heritage Administration authenticated the statue as genuine in September 2021, the grounds for appeal have already been resolved." They added, "The prosecution expresses concerns about the diplomatic impact on the Korean government’s overseas cultural property repatriation efforts due to this case, but cultural property repatriation from Japan has been ongoing, from the return of Princess Deokhye’s belongings (2015) to the recovery of Ryu Seong-ryong’s memorandum calendar (2022)."
The Civil Division 1 of the Daejeon High Court (Presiding Judge Park Seon-jun) will hold the second trial verdict hearing on the movable property delivery lawsuit filed by Buseoksa against the state (Republic of Korea) on the 1st of next month.
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