[2020 National Audit] "Many Seized Cultural Properties Left in Warehouses About 3.3㎡, Risk of Damage Feared"

Democratic Party Rep. Sangheon Lee: "Expand Instructor Inspection Team and Establish Specialized Policies"

Confiscated cultural properties left unattended in the storage room on the 10th floor of the Cultural Heritage Administration building
Photo by Lee Sangheon Office

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Concerns have been raised over the poor management of confiscated cultural properties seized during smuggling attempts, which have been left neglected in a space barely larger than one pyeong (3.3㎡).

Lee Sang-heon, a member of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, pointed out during the 2020 National Audit of the Cultural Heritage Administration on the 12th, "Upon inspecting the management status of seized cultural properties, it was found that many confiscated items were left unattended in a storage room on the 10th floor of the Cultural Heritage Administration building, which is merely a general storage space of about one pyeong." He added, "They were piled up haphazardly without systematic classification, and many cultural properties have been stored there for several years."

Every year, smugglers attempt to illegally export cultural properties via air transport but are caught at international airports. Some of the confiscated cultural properties are temporarily stored by the Cultural Heritage Administration until the related court cases conclude or the original owners are identified. According to Lee’s office, a total of 12 cases comprising 1,362 items are currently held in storage. Among these are national treasures such as 'Miamjip'.

Cultural heritage experts estimate that many of these confiscated cultural properties have likely been damaged due to poor management. Since artifacts, including old bibliographic materials, are vulnerable to temperature, humidity, and light, they should be managed in specialized storage facilities with temperature and humidity control. However, such functions are lacking in the Cultural Heritage Administration’s storage facilities.

Additionally, the Cultural Heritage Administration does not have a dedicated investigation room for examining confiscated cultural properties. Whenever investigations are necessary, they must request cooperation from local police agencies or local governments and temporarily use their investigation rooms.

Lee urged, "To prevent damage to precious cultural heritage, the Cultural Heritage Administration must establish measures such as ensuring the independence of the enforcement team, increasing personnel, and securing investigation rooms."

Currently, the enforcement team within the Cultural Heritage Administration’s Safety Management Division consists of only three members, which has been criticized as insufficient. Jung Jae-sook, the Administrator of the Cultural Heritage Administration, stated, "We are continuously discussing personnel supplementation with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety," adding, "Next year, we plan to increase the enforcement team to five members so that it can operate as a full team."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.