In June last year, Kotokuin Temple in Kamakura, Japan (headed by chief priest Takao Sato), announced that it would return (donate) Gwanwoldang, a Joseon royal shrine, to the Korean government free of charge. The Japanese side reportedly covered the costs of dismantling the structure and transporting it to Korea. A generous gesture indeed. On April 18 this year, the temple additionally donated 100 million yen (approximately 1 billion won) to a Korea-Japan academic exchange fund.
On May 8, Kim Chang-won and Kim Kang-won, brothers residing in Japan, respectively donated the "Baekja Cheonghwa Yi Jin-geom Myoji," a white porcelain tomb tablet featuring calligraphy by Yi Gwang-sa, a renowned calligrapher of the late Joseon period, and the "Sunjong Yeje Yepil Hyeonpan," a plaque composed and written by Sunjong, the last king of Joseon and the Korean Empire. The younger brother, Kim Kang-won, has now donated cultural heritage four times. Another generous act.
These are welcome reports that Korea's cultural heritage continues to be returned from abroad. However, countless cultural assets illegally taken out of the country—through plunder and other means around the Japanese colonial period—still remain overseas, waiting to return home. According to the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, which is responsible for heritage repatriation, 256,190 pieces of Korean cultural heritage were officially confirmed at 801 locations across 29 countries as of January 1 this year. The figure includes both illegally and legally exported items.
The organization in charge of repatriating cultural heritage scattered overseas is the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, under the Korea Heritage Service. Although not widely known to the general public, it is a crucial institution that conducts the discovery and investigation of items such as Gwanwoldang and the Sunjong plaque.
Yet doubts persist that its activities fall short of its importance. The foundation employs just 28 people and has an annual budget of only 8.6 billion won this year. After deducting staff and facility maintenance costs, the funds actually used for repatriation are minimal. It can barely afford to purchase even a single notable piece of cultural heritage directly.
That is why articles like the ones described above keep appearing—heartwarming stories of overseas heritage donations. According to the foundation, it repatriated a total of 1,298 items over the past decade, of which 1,248, or 96 percent, came through donations. Park Jeong-hye, chairperson of the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, attended the donation ceremony for the Sunjong plaque and other items at the National Palace Museum of Korea on the 8th, saying, "I thank the donors who gave without any conditions. I hope the noble spirit of donation will spread widely throughout our society."
It is true that the Korean government faces difficulties in directly repatriating cultural heritage. It cannot simply attend auctions and purchase Korean cultural assets—once it becomes known that the Korean government is involved, prices will clearly rise. Still, relying solely on the goodwill of donors without budgetary efforts by the government is also problematic.
Huh Min, commissioner of the Korea Heritage Service, pledged at his first press briefing after taking office in July last year, "We will definitely repatriate cultural heritage confirmed to have been plundered (overseas)."
More decisive efforts are needed from heritage authorities, including the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation. Under the Lee Jae-myung administration, which dreams of making Korea a cultural powerhouse, the Korea Heritage Service's budget this year stands at 1.4971 trillion won, rising just 7.9 percent from the previous year. This is lower than the government's total budget growth rate of 8.1 percent this year. The Korea Heritage Service's budget accounts for 0.2057 percent of the total national budget this year, down 0.0003 percentage points from last year's 0.2060 percent.
Notably, of the 26.2 trillion won secured in the first supplementary budget for 2026, the Korea Heritage Service's share was a mere 1.4 billion won.
Takao Sato, the chief priest of Japan's Kotokuin Temple who donated Gwanwoldang last year, received a presidential commendation. The Kim brothers received a plaque of appreciation from the Korea Heritage Service commissioner. These may be small rewards for generous donations, but it is regrettable that nothing more can be offered. Many companies are also helping repatriate Korean cultural heritage through donations—notably game companies such as Riot Games.
