The designation of the treasure 'Daemyeongryul,' which stirred controversy by purchasing a stolen old book to apply for national designated heritage, has been canceled. This is the first case where national designated heritage such as national treasures and treasures has been revoked.
According to the Korea Heritage Service on the 11th, the Heritage Committee's Subcommittee on Cultural Heritage held a meeting on the 13th of last month to discuss the plan to revoke the treasure designation of 'Daemyeongryul' and approved it. The Korea Heritage Service plans to announce the treasure designation cancellation plan on its website and in the official gazette. It has been 9 years since it was designated as a treasure in July 2016.
'Daemyeongryul' has been regarded as essential material for the criminal law of the Joseon Dynasty. It is believed to be a book published in 1389 from the Ming Dynasty's legal code (law system regarding crimes and punishments). It is a rare edition that is known not to have any surviving copies in Korea or abroad. The Korea Heritage Service has described it in the '2015-2016 National Treasure and Treasure Designation Report' as "a valuable resource for the study of legal laws during the Joseon period, as well as bibliographic research in early Joseon."
However, 'Daemyeongryul' became embroiled in controversy just over four months after its treasure designation. This is because it was identified as "stolen goods" during the process in which the Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police arrested treasure hunters and thieves who stole cultural heritage from temples, historical sites, and traditional houses across the nation in 2016. The cultural Ryu family, which owned 'Daemyeongryul,' had reported to the local government that 81 artifacts, including a plaque from their building and the old book, had disappeared around 1998. Furthermore, the Korea Heritage Service, which designated 'Daemyeongryul' as a treasure, had previously announced the theft of 'Daemyeongryul' in 2011.
According to the investigation results at the time, Mr. A, who runs a private museum in Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, purchased 'Daemyeongryul' for 15 million won from a dealer in stolen goods in May 2012 and applied for its designation as national heritage in October of the same year. Mr. A deceived others by claiming that he had "inherited 'Daemyeongryul' from an ancestor," and after more than two years of investigation and review, the Korea Heritage Service designated it as a treasure. However, after the fact that he had purchased stolen goods was revealed, Mr. A was indicted on charges of violating the Cultural Heritage Protection Act, and in April 2022, he received a three-year prison sentence.
Authorities reportedly struggled with the cancellation of 'Daemyeongryul' even after the court ruling. The Korea Heritage Service decided to revoke the designation based on the Administrative Basic Law, which allows for the cancellation of illegal or unjust dispositions, judging that there were flaws in the designation at the time it was designated as a treasure. There have been cases where the value judged before designation dropped after designation; however, this is the first instance of a treasure or national treasure designation being canceled due to issues that arose during the designation process. Currently, 'Daemyeongryul' is temporarily stored by the National Palace Museum.
The Korea Heritage Service explained that it took three years to cancel the treasure designation following the verdict against Mr. A, stating, "Since this is the first time canceling a designation, it took a long time for legal reviews and assessments by former experts, which are necessary for administration." Regarding the circumstances of its designation as a treasure despite a theft report, it clarified, "Even if a theft report was made, it is not possible to clearly know if it is stolen goods because photographs were not detailed at that time."