Late Joseon-era Buddhist painting returns to South Korea after 70 years in US

Seoul, Nov 14
A Buddhist painting dating to the late Joseon Dynasty has been returned to South Korea from the United States, about 70 years after it is believed to have been removed from a temple in the aftermath of the 1950–53 Korean War.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York said Friday it has repatriated 'Siwangdo' -- one of a 10-piece series depicting the 10 kings of the afterlife -- to Sinheung Temple in the eastern coastal city of Sokcho.

Painted in 1798 during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), the work is thought to have been taken illicitly from the temple's Myeongbujeon, a hall dedicated to the 10 kings, in 1954, when Korea was under US military administration, Yonhap news agency reported.

A 1942 survey by the Japanese government-general of Korea recorded the painting's presence at the temple, and its existence is also documented in photos taken by US military officers between 1953 and 1954.

Six panels from the 'Siwangdo' set were returned to South Korea in 2020 from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), but four, including the one newly repatriated, have remained overseas.

The painting, measuring 116.8 centimetres long and 91.4 cm wide, portrays the 10th and final king who judges the dead according to Buddhist belief.

The return was made possible through cooperation among the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, Sinheung Temple and a local civic group campaigning for the recovery of cultural assets taken abroad.

Lee Sang-rae, who leads the Sokcho-based activist group, said the painting "appears to have been taken to the U.S. around 1954, immediately after the Korean War."

The Met acquired the panel in 2007. Temple officials and civic activists identified the work on the museum's website and began formal discussions for its return in 2023 after verifying its provenance.

"The 'Siwangdo' pieces held by LACMA and the Met appear to have been taken out of the country at different times," Lee said. "We prepared various materials to prove the painting originated from Sinheung Temple and to clarify the timing of its removal."

Regarding how the two museums came to acquire their respective panels, he added: "We initially believed they had been held by the same previous owner, but that was not the case. We plan to continue searching for the remaining three pieces."

The six 'Siwangdo' panels previously repatriated remain in storage at Sinheung Temple. The newly-returned piece will be housed alongside them, with officials set to consider options for future public display.