“Come and see Korean repatriated arts returning to Korea.”
Twelve cultural properties that were taken to the United States and have been unaccounted for decades are returning to Korea. The cultural properties will be on display in Los Angeles for four days before their return.
On September 5, the Cultural Heritage Restoration Foundation held a press conference at the Leesu Gallery (4012 W. Olympic Blvd.) in Koreatown, LA, and announced that it will hold the public exhibition of returned cultural properties- Wood printing-block until the September 8.
The Cultural Heritage Restoration Foundation is a nonprofit foundation registered by the National Assembly of Korea, and it is conducting a movement to investigate and return cultural assets that have been stolen or illegally exported to overseas countries such as Japan and the United States.
The foundation is set to return 12 invaluable wood printing-blocks of esteemed Joseon Dynasty writers. These cultural assets comprise:
Four wood printing-blocks of “송자대전 (宋子大全)” by Song Shilie, a distinguished scholar of the Joseon Dynasty.
Four wood printing-blocks of “한주집 (寒洲集)”, one wood printing-block of “이학종요 (理學綜要)”, and another of “사례집요 (四禮輯要)” by Hanju Lee Jin-sang, a prominent Neo-Confucianist of the late Joseon Dynasty.
One wood printing-block of “묵산문집 (默山文集)”, which is a collection of poems and prose by the late Joseon scholar, Moon Haeku.
One wood printing-block featuring a collection of poems and prose titled “두릉집 (杜陵集)” by the late Joseon scholar, Yi Jegyeom.
“The Hanju school of thought, which inherited Lee Jin-sang’s study abroad, served as the center of the independence movement during the Japanese colonization, and the great cause of Song Shilie was championed by those in the vanguard of the militant movement,” the foundation said. “Before the cultural properties are returned, Korean Americans in Southern California will be able to see the original woodblock prints in person.”
Meanwhile, wood printing-block is a wooden bookplate made for publishing booklets. It is a printing technology passed down from before the production of metal type, and was used in the Joseon Dynasty by scholars to edit limited documents.
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]
