Samsung and Ownership Dispute Over 'Inwangjesaekdo'... Court Dismisses, Saying "Not a Final Resolution Method"

Court: "No substantive judgment on ownership... No interest in confirmation, thus inadmissible"

The court dismissed the ownership confirmation lawsuit claiming that the national treasure 'Inwangjesaekdo' was unjustly transferred to the Samsung family in the 1970s. Dismissal means that the lawsuit is terminated immediately without entering a full trial because it does not meet the requirements for litigation.

The press preview of the exhibition "Enjoying the Great Cultural Heritage Together - Masterpieces Donated by the Late Chairman Lee Kun-hee" was held on July 20, 2021, at the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Attendees are viewing Jeong Seon’s Inwangjesaekdo.

The Civil Division 31 of the Seoul Central District Court (Chief Judge Kim Sang-woo) dismissed the ownership confirmation lawsuit filed by Son Won-kyung, the great-grandson of calligrapher Son Jae-hyung who owned Inwangjesaekdo, against Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Hotel Shilla President Lee Boo-jin, and Samsung Welfare Foundation Chairperson Lee Seo-hyun on the 7th.

Mr. Son claimed that his grandfather had entrusted 'Inwangjesaekdo' by Joseon Dynasty painter Jeong Seon, who was also a calligrapher, to the late Samsung founder Lee Byung-chul, with whom he had a close relationship, but after both passed away, the Samsung side did not return the artwork, prompting this lawsuit.

On the other hand, Samsung is reported to have taken the position that the facts claimed by Mr. Son are unclear and that no concrete evidence has been submitted.

The court did not make a judgment on the main issue of whether Mr. Son has ownership. The court stated, "The plaintiff's request to confirm that the artwork or its shared ownership belongs to the plaintiff is not the most effective or appropriate means to remove the existing anxiety or risk regarding the plaintiff's rights or legal status, nor can it be seen as the ultimate resolution method for disputes over ownership of the artwork," and ruled that "the plaintiff's ownership lawsuit against the defendants lacks the benefit of confirmation and is therefore inappropriate."

Inwangjesaekdo, which had been kept at the Samsung Leeum Museum of Art, was donated to the National Museum of Korea in the year following the death of the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee in 2020.

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