South Korean prosecution continues to insist that the stolen Buddha statue in Tsushima is fake, admits it is genuine = South Korean thieves say, "We are patriots."

A Korean thief stole from Kanonji Temple in Tsushima, Japan, and brought it to Korea. The Korean prosecution's allegation that this is a fake has been withdrawn.

The Civil Affairs Division 1 (Director: Bak Sung Jun) of the Daejeon High Court was launched on the 15th by Buseoksa Temple in Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do, against the Korean government. "Appeal for delivery of tangible movables" was held.

During the trial, the Korean prosecutor's office on behalf of the Korean government said, "We will not dispute the truth of the gold and bronze Buddha statue and the connection text (documents related to Buddha statue production, often included in the Buddha statue)." Accepted the appraisal result of the Korean Cultural Heritage Administration that this Buddha statue was made at Ukiishi Temple in 1330.

The prosecution applied as a witness to an appraisal committee member who found that the thief stole this Buddha statue and cleared it at Busan Port in 2012 at a trial in July. However, he has continued to claim that it is a fake, not the property claimed by Busan Temple.

This time, instead of the Korean prosecution withdrawing the allegations, Ukiishiji's position was different when it came to proceeding with the trial. The prosecution insisted, "Just because Kanonji in Japan said at the end of last year,'I will participate in the trial (in South Korea) to claim clear ownership,' the trial should be postponed until the Kanonji side participates." On the other hand, a lawyer on the Ukiishi-ji side argued that "Kanonji's intention to participate is not clear. We should continue to make progress and come to a conclusion."

In the end, the court said, "If the intention to participate in Kanonji is not clear by the next trial, the trial will be terminated." The next trial will be held on November 24th at 3:00 pm.

On the other hand, in this case, a Korean cultural property thief went to Japan in October 2012 under the guise of sightseeing, stole this golden bronze Buddha statue from Kannonji Temple, and ignited diplomatic friction between Japan and South Korea. The Buddha statue is 50.5 cm high and weighs 38.6 kg, and it is known from the Buddhist statue's connection that it was made by Ukiishi-ji Temple in 1330. South Korea's Ukiishi-ji Temple presumes and claims that it "later went to Japan by looting Wokou."

At the first instance, the court admitted the ownership of Ukiishi-ji Temple, saying, "There is a record of the Buddha statue in Kuozui, Goryeo (now Kuozui), but there is no record of relocation." The Japanese government regretfully demands the return of the Korean government. However, since the trial is not over yet, the Buddha statue is currently stored at the Daejeon National Institute of Cultural Properties.

This is the first trial in which a cultural property outside Korea has been filed in a proceeding in South Korea. The thieves claimed in a statement, "We are patriots because we brought in the cultural properties that Japan plundered."