First lady's comments revive hopes of Goryeo artifact's repatriation

First lady Kim Keon Hee (right) looks at the silver-gilt lamaistic pagoda-shaped sarira reliquary on display at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston's Korean Gallery, April 28. (Yonhap)

During a state visit to the US with President Yoon Suk Yeol, first lady Kim Keon Hee visited the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, on April 28.

After touring the Korean and European galleries, Kim asked Matthew Teitelbaum, director of the MFA Boston, to resume discussion for the return of the silver-gilt lamaistic pagoda-shaped sarira reliquary from the 13th-century Goryeo era, one of the Korean artifacts on display in the museum's Korean Gallery.

The museum official said that they would look into the matter in consultation with the relevant agencies.

When asked about Kim's comments made at the Boston museum during a press conference in Seoul Tuesday, Cultural Heritage Administration head Choi Eung-chon said that he was not informed ahead of time about Kim's remarks, but that he had hoped that she might raise the issue during her visit.

"The artifact's repatriation was first brought up in 2003. In 2009, the museum asked if South Korea was willing to accept only the sarira, without the reliquary. At the time, the CHA replied that it would not receive the sarira without the reliquary, and so the talks fell through," Choi told The Korea Herald during a press conference held Tuesday to discuss the CHA's plans for the latter half of the year.

"Today, we maintain that the two components complete the artifact as a whole. We said this during the CHA's briefings to the first lady on the museums that she will be visiting in the US," Choi added. The CHA explained to Kim about the sarira reliquary's history and the efforts that had been made toward its repatriation, according to Choi.

The Boston museum acquired the piece in 1939 through a Japanese art dealer named Yamanaka. It is unclear, however, how he obtained the artifact. The CHA head explained that the issue of the artifact's return should be approached carefully, since historical studies have not confirmed the artifact as stolen or smuggled out from Korea.

"During the briefing, the first lady asked the Cultural Heritage Administration to serve as a conduit to discussing cultural heritage overseas," Choi said.

The CHA head emphasized that the Goryeo-era artifact is among those which the agency will work to have repatriated.

By Kim Hae-yeon(hykim@heraldcorp.com)