South Korea will begin this week to prepare for negotiations with Japan over retrieving its stolen cultural relics, government sources said Monday.
The work will come about a week after Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan apologized for Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of Korea and offered to
return pieces of Korean cultural heritage, including the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) royal documents called "Uigwe."
"In order to secure the return of Uigwe, South Korea and Japan will need to reach an agreement, and we will begin negotiations for that," a
government source said. "The foreign ministry and Cultural Heritage Administration will handle most of the preparations."
The source said Jang Won-sam, director of the ministry's Northeast Asian bureau, and Park Yung-keun, head of the administration's heritage promotion bureau, are scheduled to meet Tuesday. Jang and Park will discuss whether it's necessary to further track down Korean cultural relics in Japanese possession, and what kinds of pieces Seoul will ask to be returned, the source added.
The foreign ministry and the Imperial Household Agency will negotiate for Japan, the source said.
In his statement, Kan explained that the decision to return cultural relics was a "response to the expectations of the Korean people" and said items subject to transfer would be "precious archives originated from the
Korean Peninsula that were brought to Japan" during the colonial regime.
Sources said Seoul will look to retrieve all cultural relics that were illegally taken during the colonial era.
Japan is now believed to be holding 167 Uigwe books, including 81 originals, at the Imperial Household Agency. South Korea holds 3,563 Uigwe
books, including 703 originals.
The Cultural Heritage Administration estimates there are about 61,000 Korean artifacts in Japanese possession, which amount to half of all Korean relics scattered around the globe. Japan returned 1,432 pieces after signing the Treaty of Basic Relations with South Korea in 1965.