Japan holds largest share of Korean artifacts overseas, report says

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) - Japan holds the largest number of Korean historic artifacts outside the Korean Peninsula, a legacy of its colonial rule from 1910 to 1945, according to the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation (OKCHF).

More than 250,000 Korean historical artifacts are currently held overseas, including items taken during wars and other periods of national crisis, Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency reported.

Many of the artifacts are believed to have been stolen or looted during foreign interventions in the late 19th century and throughout Japan’s colonial rule of Korea, while others were transferred abroad through legitimate transactions.

In total, the items are spread across 801 institutions in 29 countries.

Japan holds 110,611 Korean cultural relics, accounting for 43.2% of all overseas cultural properties.

The US ranks second with about 68,000 artifacts, followed by Germany with 16,000.

The United Kingdom possesses around 15,000 relics.

Both the KHS and the OKCHF are working to repatriate items believed to have been taken illegally.

As of January, more than 2,800 items have been returned through the OKCHF.