KOREA FOUNDATION

Last March, tranions of King Heonjong and Queen Hyohyeon’s national funerals, the Heonjong Daewang Gukjang Dogam Uigwe and Hyohyeon Wanghu Gukjang Dogam Uigwe, were discovered at the Guimet National Museum of Asian Arts in Paris, France. Uigwe are written and illustrated Joseon-era documentation of the affairs of the royal family and major state events. They are highly valuable cultural properties and are listed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. The findings at Guimet Museum detail the state-administered funerals of King Heonjong and his queen. Overseas Korean cultural assets include both those that have been illegally taken out of the country and those that have left the nation in legitimate ways, such as through cultural exchange. Wherever they are located, these pieces deserve proper recognition of their value as proud cultural assets of Korea as well as part of the shared world heritage of all mankind.

* This infographic has been produced using statistics from the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation on cultural properties overseas. Photographs have been provided by the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (www.nrich.go.kr)

Cultural_PropertyUigweHeritageCultural_Exchange