"Stolen Goryeo Buddha Statue from Japan, Ownership Reversed in Appeal Trial"

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] A court ruling has been made that a Goryeo Buddhist statue stolen by a thief in Japan and brought into Korea must be returned to Japan.

The Civil Division 1 of the Daejeon High Court (Presiding Judge Park Seon-jun) overturned the first trial ruling (in favor of Buseoksa) on the appeal filed by Buseoksa Temple in Seosan against the Korean government regarding the claim for delivery of movable property (the Buddhist statue) and dismissed the plaintiff's claim on the 1st.

The Buddhist statue that Buseoksa filed a lawsuit over is a Goryeo-era gilt-bronze seated Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva statue. This statue was stolen in October 2012 by a group of cultural property thieves from Kannonji Temple (Gwan-eumsa) in Japan and brought into Korea.

Buseoksa filed the lawsuit on the grounds that, based on the statue's dedication inscription stating that the gilt-bronze seated Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva statue was made to enshrine in a temple in Seoju (the name of Seosan during the Goryeo period) around 1330, since the statue was plundered by Wako (Japanese pirates), ownership should be returned to the original owner, Buseoksa.

In this regard, the first trial (January 26, 2017) ruled in favor of Buseoksa, stating that considering various evidence, it was correct to view that the Wako took the statue by abnormal means. It recognized that the ownership of the statue belonged to Buseoksa.

However, the appellate court's judgment differed from the first trial. The appellate court stated, "It is recognized as a fact through the evidence submitted by the plaintiff (Buseoksa) that the gilt-bronze seated Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva statue was made at Buseoksa Temple in Seoju during the Goryeo period," but added, "However, based solely on the evidence submitted by the plaintiff, it is not sufficiently proven that the current Buseoksa is the same as the historical Seoju Buseoksa, making it difficult to recognize the rights holder of the statue."