"Not a Movie?" Gold Ore Worth 900 Million Won Stolen from Paris Museum

Evidence of a Professional Heist Using Specialized Equipment
A Series of Thefts Targeting Public Museums Across France

Gold ore specimens on display at the Geology and Mineral Exhibition Hall of the National Museum of Natural History in Paris have been stolen. Recently, a series of similar thefts at public museums in France has raised growing concerns.

Homepage screen announcing the temporary closure of the Geological Mineral Exhibition Hall at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. Photo by Yonhap News

According to Yonhap News, which cited AFP on the 17th (local time), the break-in and theft was detected on the morning of the 16th. The thieves reportedly used cutting tools and gas torches to break into the exhibition hall overnight and stole the gold ore specimens. Gold ore refers to an unrefined mineral in its natural state, containing a mixture of gold, silver, and other elements.

The museum stated, "The stolen gold ore is valued at approximately 600,000 euros (about 980 million Korean won) at market price, but its value as a cultural asset is even greater." After the theft, the museum closed the Geology and Mineral Exhibition Hall and checked other exhibits for possible damage.

In an interview with local media, the museum director said, "The perpetrators knew exactly where to go and were a group of professionals using specialized equipment," emphasizing, "It is absolutely not a coincidence that they took these items." This points to the fact that the thieves were not simple intruders, but a thoroughly prepared organization.

An anonymous police source told the daily Le Parisien, "In July, the museum's security system was temporarily disabled by a cyberattack, but it has not yet been confirmed whether the system was functioning properly at the time of this theft."

The museum expressed concern, stating, "In recent months, collections at several public museums have repeatedly become targets for thieves."

Earlier this month, two Chinese porcelain plates and one vase were stolen from the Adrien Dubouch? National Museum in Limoges, France, which is famous for its ceramics. These porcelain pieces had been designated as French national treasures, and the estimated damage amounts to about 9.5 million euros (approximately 15.5 billion Korean won).

In November last year, four men armed with axes and baseball bats broke display cases in broad daylight at the Cognacq-Jay Museum in Paris and stole several 18th-century artworks. Just one day later, armed robbers stole jewelry worth several million euros from a museum in the Sa?ne-et-Loire region of central France.

In 2010, Vjeran Tomic, a burglar from Croatia, stole works by famous painters such as Picasso, Matisse, and Modigliani from the Paris Museum of Modern Art. He was arrested the following year and sentenced to eight years in prison in 2017, but the stolen works have yet to be recovered. The estimated loss from this theft exceeds 100 million euros (about 160 billion Korean won).