Rare legal document of Joseon Dynasty loses treasure status after it turns out to be stolen property

A picture of “Daemyeongnyul.” Courtesy of the Korea Heritage Service

The controversial treasure designation of "Daemyeongnyul,” a legal text of Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910), also known as “The Great Ming Code,” was revoked as it had been reported stolen before its designation. This is the first time in Korea that the designation of or state-designated cultural assets has been canceled.

According to the Korea Heritage Service on March 11, the committee for movable cultural heritage held a meeting on February 13 to discuss and approve the plan to revoke the treasure designation of “Daemyeongnyul.” The agency said on the same day that it had informed local governments of its plan to cancel the treasure designation and publicized the plan on its website, and that it would announce the cancellation on its website and official gazette next month. It has been nine years since the manuscript was designated as a national treasure in July 2016.

“Daemyeongnyul” has been regarded as the basis of the panel code of the Joseon Dynasty. It is believed to have been published in 1389 as a panel code (legal system on crimes and punishments) book of the Ming Dynasty in China. It is a rare book with no known surviving copies in Korea or abroad.

However, “Daemyeongnyul” was mired in controversy within four months of its designation as a national treasure. In 2016, it was identified as an “artifact” by the Gyeonggi Northern Police Agency during the arrest of thieves who stole cultural heritage from temples, historic sites, and old houses. In 1998, Yuksindang seodang, founded by the Munhwa Ryu family who held “Daemyeongnyul,” reported that 81 cases and 235 artifacts, including building signs and old books, were stolen to the local government.

According to the investigation at the time, Mr. A, who ran a private museum in Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, bought “Daemyeongnyul” from an artifact dealer in May 2012 for 15 million won, and in October of the same year, he requested the manuscript be designated as a national treasure at the Korea Heritage Service. He falsely claimed that he had “inherited it from his predecessor,” and after more than two years of investigation and review, the agency designated and announced it as a national treasure. However, when it was discovered that he had bought the artifact, he was charged with violating the Cultural Properties Protection Law, and in April 2022, he was sentenced to three years in prison.

After the court ruling, the authorities reportedly considered canceling the designation. The Korea Heritage Service admitted that there was a defect in the process of designating the book as a national treasure and decided to revoke the designation based on the Basic Administrative Law, which allows for the revocation of illegal or unjustified actions.

In some cases, treasure designation was lifted if the value of a national treasure or state-designated cultural assets was judged to have fallen after the designation, but this is the first time that the designation of a national treasure was canceled due to a problem in the designation process. Currently, “Daemyeongnyul” is housed at the National Palace Museum of Korea.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.