South Korea has yet to return an ancient Buddhist statue one year after the country’s Supreme Court ruled that it belongs to a Japanese temple.
The Japanese government is said to have made repeated requests for a handover, but prospects remain unclear.
The statue was stolen in 2012 from Kannonji Temple on Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture, where the figure is designated as a cultural asset.
It was later found in South Korea. But the Busuksa Temple in South Korea claimed ownership of the statue and filed a lawsuit, arguing that Japanese pirates stole it from the temple in medieval times.
South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled on October 26 last year that the Japanese temple has ownership of the statue. However, it is still being held by the South Korean government.
The country’s Foreign Ministry has told NHK that the return of the object, as well as the related procedures, will be decided by the relevant government bodies in accordance with the law.
The country’s Justice Ministry has also said that the prosecutors’ office, which has jurisdiction over the issue, will determine how to deal with seized objects based on the criminal procedure law.
Meanwhile, Busuksa Temple is demanding that the statue be brought to its premises. The temple is said to be planning to hold a 100-day Buddhist memorial ceremony at an undetermined date, with the statue in place.