According to Yonhap News Agency, a leading English-language news source, South Korea is celebrating the Japanese return of 1,200 ancient Korean texts that were taken during Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula and kept by the Japanese Imperial Household Agency. Among the books is the “Uigwe,” a collection of documents that is a record and illustration of royal protocols used in weddings, banquets, funerals, and other royal events during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).
The return celebrations begin at the Jongmyo royal shrine in central Seoul with traditional ceremonies that includes a parade, an enshrinement ceremony, and a Confucian rite. The books will be housed at the National Palace Museum and be on display for a special exhibition starting December 27 through February 5, 2012.
And so the diplomatic thaw between Japan and South Korea, once proceeding at a glacial pace, seems to be warming up nicely. We applaud this Japanese gesture.
Tag: South Korea, Japan, ancient Korean books, celebration, Yonhap News
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Yonhap News Agency
