The cultural heritage agency said Monday it was investigating a report that Korean historic relics that were recently put on auction in the U.S. were those looted by the U.S. forces during the Korean War.
The Hankyoreh, a South Korean daily, reported that about 130 relics were taken, some of them believed to be from the royal Deoksu Palace in central Seoul, during the chaos of the 1950-53 war. The relics, which are mostly accessories, celadons and furniture, but also include valuable items like the original template used for printing bills, were recently put up for
sale in an art auction in Oxford, Michigan, the report said.
The Cultural Heritage Administration confirmed an investigation is underway, but said it was too early to conclude whether some of the relics came from the Deoksu Palace or if they were looted by U.S. soldiers.
The relics put on auction number about 110, it added.
"Those presented in the auction appear to be mostly relics of the (Chinese) Qing Dynasty. Only 10 percent or so of them, including the currency template, appears rightful to be presumed royal," Park Yung-keun, a director from the cultural agency, said.
The agency will consider whether to ask for their repatriation from the U.S. government if the investigation finds they were taken illegally, Park added.
Another official said on condition of anonymity that it is "questionable" to say that most of the relics are royal.
A U.S. embassy spokesman said it could not immediately comment on the issue, but will internally look into it.
According to The Hankyoreh report, the U.S. government asked South Korea to verify the authenticity of the relics in April via its embassy in Seoul.