Thursday, August 14, 2014

Korean Stele Returned by Japan


Pukkwan Victory Monument
A recent article (AFP 'Chinese group appeals to Japan's emperor over artefact', Channel News Asia 12 Aug 2014) mentions:
"Japan in 2005 gave South Korea a stele commemorating Korean victories against invading Japanese forces in the late 16th century that had been taken to Japan in the early 20th century. Seoul later sent it to North Korea for return to its original location".
This was the Pukkwan Victory Monument (often referred to as the Bukgwan Victory Monument in South Korea). This was "a stone stele written in Classical Chinese commemorating a series of Korean military victories between 1592 and 1594 against the invading army of Japan during the Imjin War. It was subsequently taken to Japan during the Japanese occupation of Korea during the Russo-Japanese War of 1905. It was eventually discovered on the grounds of Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, prompting a Korean outcry that it be returned. In a ceremony on 12 October 2005, it was turned over to officials from South Korea, who returned it to its original location, which is now in North Korea". The monument is now in Kimch'aek (formerly Sŏngjin) in North Hamgyong Province. (Wikipedia).

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