France will lease a collection of Korean royal texts to South Korea, 140 years after it looted them from the country's Joseon Dynasty, the French prime minister said Thursday.
The lease will be made on a "long-term and regular basis," granting Koreans an opportunity to view the books in their home country, Dominique de Villepin was quoted as saying during a meeting with visiting South Korean Prime Minister Han Myung-sook.
The first exhibition will likely be held in Seoul this fall, Han's chief of staff Kim Sung-jin quoted Villepin as saying.
"France intends to show its firm will toward showing the old documents to our ally, South Korea, on a regular basis," Villepin told reporters.
France's Culture Minister Donnedieu de Vabres will soon visit South Korea to fix details of the plan, the premier said.
France seized 297 texts from a royal archive of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) in 1866. They are now being kept at France's National Library in Paris, but Seoul wants their return.
South Korea first asked France to return the royal collection, known as the "Oegyujanggak" after the name of the royal archive where they were kept, in November 1991.
In 2001, the two countries tentatively agreed that France would permanently "loan" the books to South Korea in exchange for other ancient Korean documents of similar historical importance.
But the accord broke down after a public blacklash in South Korea, where people felt affronted by having to trade other cultural assets for what was in effect stolen property.
The two countries began new talks to work out an agreement earlier this year, but little progress was made. France is opposed to transferring the books' ownership, claiming there is no international precedent for such a move.
The Joseon Dynasty archive was set up on Ganghwa Island off Korea's west coast in 1781. About 1,000 books were there when France invaded in 1866 after six French Catholic missionaries were put to death by Joseon authorities. French troops seized 297 books and destroyed others by fire.
During Thursday's meeting, the French official did not mention the earlier suggested condition for loaning the books, according to Kim.
"I hope this event will be held in a systematized and regular manner so as to bring great progress in the two countries' negotiations to resolve the issue," Han told reporters.
The French prime minister, however, did not answer Han's request that France permanently return the books as soon as possible.
After the talks, Han met with France's President Jacques Chirac and called for his government's cooperation for an early settlement of the issue.
Chirac asked for Seoul's understanding of France's difficulty in returning the looted books, but said he will make efforts to find a new solution.
The South Korean premier later attended a reception at Versailles to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Paris, June 9 (Yonhap News)
France agrees to loan Korea stolen royal texts |
