문화재 반환과 둘러싼 한일회담의 한계

The Limitation of the Korea-Japan Normalization Talks on the Issue of Returning Cultural Assets- Focusing on Japan`s Returning Process of the Korean Cultural Assets

This study investigates how Japan nationalized the cultural assets from the colony and foreign countries when the “Cultural Assets Protection Law” was legislated in 1950. It also analyzes how Japan enforced the nationalizing and returning of the cultural assets to Korea during the Korea-Japan talks in the 1950s and the 1960s. During the 14 years of Korea-Japan talks, the cultural assets which was excavated out of the Korean peninsula and defined as the Japanese assets were partly turned to Korea. It was proceeded, however, in secret by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan. After returning of assets, the ministry reported to the Diet and Japanese society learned the event from Korean or Japanese newspapers. Although the return of cultural assets was made from Japan to Korea, it was done only in the frame of “National Assets” of Japan. It showed the limited undertaking in the legacy of the Japanese colonial rule, resulting in the Korea-Japan agreement for the Korean cultural assets as “the private assets of the Japanese people” and “the belongings of the Japanese people.”