Yang Eui-suk, President of the Korean Art Association, Suspected of Illegal Cultural Heritage Export... Police Investigation

Police Conduct Seizure Search at Seoul Gallery... Materials Seized
Chairman Yang "Administrative Procedure Issue... Clearly Explained"

Yang Eunsuk, president of the Korean Association of Antique Art, is under police investigation on suspicion of illegally exporting domestic cultural assets overseas.

The Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 10th that they are investigating President Yang for violating the Cultural Heritage Protection Act. She is suspected of secretly exporting about twenty 19th-century domestic cultural assets to Australia in mid-last year. According to the Cultural Heritage Protection Act, cultural assets over 50 years old require permission from the Cultural Heritage Administration, even if they are not designated as national treasures or treasures. It is reported that Yang exported them to Australia via international express delivery without obtaining permission.

The police recently conducted a raid on the gallery (Yenar) operated by Yang in Seoul. While analyzing the secured materials, they are coordinating Yang’s schedule for police questioning. A related official said, "We confiscated materials in the gallery to ascertain the basic facts." Yang explained to Kyunghyang Shinmun, "This incident occurred due to some administrative procedures during the process of exhibiting folk artifacts at a museum in Australia." She added, "I will clearly clarify the related facts to the police."

Yang is a folk craft expert who has worked in the antique art industry for over 50 years. She has served as president of the Korean Association of Antique Art since April 2021. She is widely known to the public as an appraisal committee member on programs such as KBS's 'TV Show Genuine Articles.' The Korean Association of Antique Art, headquartered in Jongno-gu, Seoul, is a non-profit corporation authorized by the Ministry of Culture and Public Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) in 1971. It operates an appraisal organization specializing in antique art appraisal.