South Korea finally returns statue stolen from Japanese temple after 13 years
A 14th-century Buddhist statue, the subject of a decade-long ownership dispute that strained relations between Japan and South Korea, has been returned to Kannon Temple on the island of Tsushima in Nagasaki Prefecture.
The statue, stolen in October 2012 and subsequently recovered in South Korea, was handed over to representatives of the Japanese temple on Saturday.
The artifact, designated a cultural asset by Nagasaki Prefecture, was airlifted to Fukuoka Prefecture on Kyushu before making its final journey to Tsushima by ferry.
Following a ceremony at Kannon Temple, the statue is expected to be placed in storage at a museum, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The statue’s odyssey began with its theft in 2012, leading to the apprehension of the thieves by South Korean authorities and the statue’s confiscation.
However, the case took a complex turn in 2016 when Buseoksa Temple in South Korea filed a lawsuit, asserting that the statue had been illicitly taken by Japanese pirates centuries ago.
After a protracted legal battle, South Korea’s Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of Kannon Temple’s ownership in 2023, paving the way for the statue’s return.
The final procedures for the repatriation were completed in January of this year, culminating in the statue’s arrival back in Japan on Monday.
The resolution of this sensitive cultural heritage issue marks a potential step towards easing the tensions that had arisen between the two nations over its fate.
Source: Mainichi
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