ID :
173358
Wed, 04/06/2011 - 04:48
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/173358
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First shipment of Korean royal texts in France to arrive here April 14
SEOUL (Yonhap) - The first shipment of ancient Korean royal books being held in Paris will arrive here next week, the South Korean national museum said Wednesday.
Kim Young-na, director of the National Museum of Korea, said the first installment of the 297-volume "Oegyujanggak" will get here around 2 p.m. on April 14.
"The books will arrive here on an Asiana Airlines plane and will be transported to our museum immediately," Kim said. "The first shipment is expected to include more than 50 volumes. We're planning a major national promotion event before the final batch is transported."
Kim said the final date has not been determined. In March, Paris and Seoul agreed to the transfer of the royal texts to South Korea before the end of May.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy agreed in November to return the royal books on a renewable lease when he held talks with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Seoul.
The two sides signed a formal agreement on the matter in February, and national museums of the two countries came to consensus in Paris in March.
The Oegyujanggak books from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) were looted by French troops in 1866 when they invaded a Korean island in retaliation for the persecution of French Catholic missionaries by Koreans. The books have been kept at the National Library of France.
Seoul has long sought to retrieve the books, which dictate the protocols of royal ceremonies and rites. One of the books was returned to Korea on a permanent lease basis in 1993 by then-French President Francois Mitterrand, but other volumes have remained in the European nation.
Kim Young-na, director of the National Museum of Korea, said the first installment of the 297-volume "Oegyujanggak" will get here around 2 p.m. on April 14.
"The books will arrive here on an Asiana Airlines plane and will be transported to our museum immediately," Kim said. "The first shipment is expected to include more than 50 volumes. We're planning a major national promotion event before the final batch is transported."
Kim said the final date has not been determined. In March, Paris and Seoul agreed to the transfer of the royal texts to South Korea before the end of May.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy agreed in November to return the royal books on a renewable lease when he held talks with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Seoul.
The two sides signed a formal agreement on the matter in February, and national museums of the two countries came to consensus in Paris in March.
The Oegyujanggak books from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) were looted by French troops in 1866 when they invaded a Korean island in retaliation for the persecution of French Catholic missionaries by Koreans. The books have been kept at the National Library of France.
Seoul has long sought to retrieve the books, which dictate the protocols of royal ceremonies and rites. One of the books was returned to Korea on a permanent lease basis in 1993 by then-French President Francois Mitterrand, but other volumes have remained in the European nation.
