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3w ago

South Korean Museum Hands Qing Dynasty Stone Lions Back to China

The handover fulfills a January summit pledge with China planning restoration and exhibition of the sculptures within a year.

Image
This April 13, 2026, file photo shows 19th-century Korean stone tiger statues at Kansong Art Museum in Seoul. (Yonhap)
Kansong Art Museum Director Chun In-keon (L), You Hong-june, director of the National Museum of Korea (C) and Rao Quan, the chief of China's National Cultural Heritage Administration, pose for a photo during a ceremony at Kansong Art Museum in Seoul on July 23, 2026, marking the return of Qing Dynasty stone lion statues. (Yonhap)
This April 13, 2026, file photo shows a pair of Qing Dynasty stone lion statues at the Kansong Art Museum in Seoul. (Yonhap)

Overview

  • The Kansong Art Museum and the National Museum of Korea formally transferred ownership of the two stone lion sculptures at a ceremony in Seoul on Thursday, July 23.
  • Each lion is about 1.9 meters tall and weighs roughly 1.25 tonnes; records show collector Jeon Hyeong-pil bought them at an Osaka auction in 1933 and asked that they be returned to China.
  • Senior cultural officials and diplomats attended the handover, including NMK Director You Hong-june, Kansong Director Chun In-keon, Rao Quan of China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration, and Ambassador Dai Bing.
  • Chinese experts who examined the works described them as high-quality Qing Dynasty pieces, and China says it will restore the sculptures and display them at a national museum within the year.
  • Kansong will replace the lions with 19th-century Korean stone tigers, and officials say the transfer is meant to deepen bilateral cultural cooperation and smooth ties over displaced heritage.