• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.636-643
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• 2016

Several Korean cultural property-related foundations have investigated Korean cultural property located abroad with the help of international organizations owning Korean cultural objects and the investigation results serve as the basis of preservation/restoration, exhibition, and educational efforts. Korean cultural objects have been widely used abroad, for instance, for research and exhibition purposes, whereas in Korea, there are still only very few examples of using cultural property based on research results and accessibility to cultural property located abroad is also low. The aim of this study is to explore plans to utilize Korean cultural property located abroad in Korea, and exhibition displays and online museums can be good ways to utilize Korean cultural property located abroad. These will help increase access to Korean cultural property located abroad and find a variety of applications, including exhibitions, education.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.39
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• pp.131-163
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• 2006

Interest in Korean cultural properties has rising in recent years, not only on the part of existing researcher and scholars but also among the general public. The scope of interest has expand also, no longer being confined to Korea, and has given rise to movements for redemption of cultural properties preserved overseas and plans on how to make use of information about them. Aside from the basic idea that all cultural properties overseas are subjects for redemption, this paper argues that it is time to seek ways to actively make use of information on those cultural properties, and that this must be preceded by dear understanding of the current status through systematic on-site research and investigation of the channels through which they left the country. In addition, it is necessary to look at the issue with a broader perspective. The cultural properties in question must be regarded not as the sole property of Korea, the country that produced them, but as artworks of the world with outstanding universal value, to be protected and utilized by all human beings. From this point of view, this paper organize studies the kinds of Korean cultural properties kept at three major museums in the United Stated, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Roston, and traces the routes and methods by which they were taken out of Korea. Based on the perception of Korean artworks overseas as explained above, the purpose of this paper is to examine materials those cultural properties not only for academic research, but also todistinguish between those properties that should be redeemed and those that should be publicized overseas by clarifying how they were taken overseas, and thus provide basic materials for policy purposes.

• Bangmulgwan gwa yeongu (The National Museum of Korea Journal)
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• v.1
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• pp.330-355
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• 2024

There are two main perspectives in Korea on Korean cultural heritage located overseas: one views it as items that need to be repatriated since they were scattered abroad under unfortunate historical circumstances. The other considers them as a means to more widely promote Korea's culture and long history. A shift in perspective has gradually been taking place in the decades since Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945. This can be noted through three major types of exhibitions. The first type is exhibitions of repatriated cultural heritage that showcase items that were illegally removed from the country but later returned or otherwise acquired through purchase or donation. The Special Exhibition of Returned Cultural Heritage, which was held in 1966 on the occasion of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and Japan, emphasized the legitimacy of reclaiming cultural properties that were illegally removed from Korea during the period of Japanese colonial rule. Around the 1990s, special exhibitions of private donations were held, which also highlighted the legitimacy of repatriation. The special exhibition of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe (Royal Protocols of the Joseon Dynasty from the Outer Royal Library) held in 2011 was seen as an opportunity to raise public interest in repatriation, heal the wounds of history, and restore the nation's cultural pride. The second type of exhibition involves borrowing and displaying overseas Korean cultural heritage in accordance with a theme as a means to reenergize and provide a comprehensive view of Korean culture. The exhibitions National Treasures from the Goryeo Dynasty in 1995 and National Treasures from the Early Joseon Dynasty in 1997 (both held at the Hoam Museum of Art) and the Masterpieces of Goryeo Buddhist Painting held at the National Museum of Korea in 2010 underscored the importance of overseas Korean cultural heritage for exploring Korean cultural history. The third type is special exhibitions on the history of the collection of Korean cultural heritage. With Korea's economic growth in the 1980s and the increase in exhibitions and the number of galleries featuring Korean cultural heritage in overseas museums in the 1990s, interest in the history of acquisition also grew. Exhibitions like The Korean Collection of the Peabody Essex Museum in 1994 and Korean Art from the United States in 2012 introduced overseas galleries focused on Korean art and the diverse history of collecting Korean cultural properties. They also examined the perception of Korean art in the United States. These efforts heightened public interest in establishing and supporting Korean galleries abroad. The initiation of more systematic surveys and research on Korean cultural heritage located abroad and the contribution of overseas Korean cultural heritage to the enhancement of the local understanding and promotion of Korean culture have resulted in changes to the perception of overseas Korean cultural heritage in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.136-153
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• 2021

The restitution of cultural heritage located abroad has been going on for 107 years, starting with the return of the Jigwangguksa Tower to Beopcheonsaji Temple in Wonju after it was taken during the Japanese occupation in 1915. The Overseas Cultural Heritage Foundation, established in 2012, has laid the foundation for retrieval, preservation, restoration, and exchange of cultural heritage through research cooperation and the purchasing of cultural heritage items. The pace of the collection of cultural heritage objects and the locating of others has increased every year since its establishment, and the number of returned, rather than recovered, cultural heritage items has also increased. The present study aimed to complete a value inquiry of the cultural relics of Waryongmae (臥龍梅) and a restitution of cultural heritage as the main focuses. The process of recovering relics from Waryongmae has been recorded in the book The Cultural Property Returned into Our Arms, published by the above-mentioned foundation. This record was revised and supplemented to try and raise its cultural value by adding elaborate storytelling to the process of recovering the Waryongmae that grew in the courtyard of Changdeokgung Palace. The cultural value of Waryongmae is that it is unique. The Waryongmae is the first living cultural heritage, and therefore has cultural value due to its uniqueness. Second, the Waryongmae has unique cultural value due to its restitution and return to Korea twice, once in 1992, and another time in 1999. The first restitution was special in that it was featured by the Japanese media, and the second was special in that it was intensively reported by the Korean media. Third, 42 Waryongmae cultural content types were explored, including nineteen visual contents, eleven interactive contents, and twelve skate contents.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.27
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• pp.147-164
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• 2022

Over 200,000 Korean cultural heritage items are currently located abroad. They have made their way to 22 countries under different circumstances and with unique backgrounds. While some of them continue to contribute to promoting Korean culture around the world, others cannot be exhibited due to damage or poor condition. In view of these circumstances, the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation (OKCHF) has since 2013 provided museums and art galleries abroad with support for the conservation, restoration, and utilization of the Korean cultural heritage items that they house. As a part of these efforts and on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between the Republic of Korea and the Kingdom of Belgium in 2021, a gilt-bronze case for acupuncture needles dating to the Goryeo period (918-1392) from the collection of the Royal Museums of Art and History (RMAH), Belgium was brought to Korea for conservation treatment. The primary purpose of this conservation treatment was to restore the original form of the relic and slow to the degree possible the progress of corrosion. The conservation treatment of the gilt-bronze case followed the fundamental order of conservation treatment: removal of corrosive substances, stabilization, and reinforcement. Since this was the first case of restoring metallic cultural properties under the abovementioned support program by the OKCHF, special methodologies distinct from those available in overseas institutions were required. Diverse scientific methods (e.g., X-ray inspection, CT scanning, 3D microscopy) were applied to identify the metalcraft techniques used in the Goryeo period. The analysis found that several designs, including lotus and scrollwork, were exquisitely engraved on the surface of the case by making dots using a round-edged chisel. A bronze plate engraved with designs was rolled into a cylindrical form. The ends were overlapped by 2 to 3 centimeters and then attached to each other by silver soldering. The overlapping ends were welded flat with nearly no gaps. As the final process in the production, the case was lavishly gilt with gold powder using amalgam gilding. The conservation treatment of the gilt-bronze case for acupunctural needles in the RMAH collection restored the original form of the relic and arrested further corrosion. Above all, it revived the historic and academic value of the overseas Korean cultural heritage through scientific analysis.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Information Management Conference
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• 2010.08a
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• pp.171-176
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• 2010

이 연구는 그동안 밝혀지지 않았던 꼴레쥬드 프랑스에 소장된 한국 고문헌을 실사(實事)하여 소장본의 규모와 전래경위, 자료적 특징을 살피는 것을 목적으로 하였다. 특히, 구한말 한국 고문헌의 현황과 프랑스 내 한국 고문헌 소재파악의 중요한 참고문헌인 "한국서지(Bibliographie Coreenne)"를 저술한 모리스 꾸랑(Maurice Courant, 1865-1935) 개인 소장본과 꼴레쥬드 프랑스 소장본과의 관계를 규명하였다. 이를 통하여 국외 한국 문화재의 기초조사에 일조를 하고자 하며 향후 활용방안을 모색해 보고자 한다.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.235-251
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• 2011

The aim of this article is to outline the history and importance of the Korean rare books in Coll$\grave{e}$ge de France. With this purpose in mind, the historical background and the process of how these books came to Coll$\grave{e}$ge de France were studied through cataloguing the list, and then analyzing them by subject, printing type, and timeline. We examined the relationship between the private collections of Maurice Courant(1865-1935) and the Korean rare books held in Coll$\grave{e}$ge de France. The Bibliographie Cor$\acute{e}$enne written by Maurice Courant is the most important reference book for studying the publication of the late Joseon dynasty and finding the whereabouts of the Korean books in France. Also, we tried to figure out the best way to implement and make use of a bibliographic database, and contribute to the exploration and study of Korean Cultural Heritage scattered outside Korea.