Former Regional Director of Cultural Heritage Research Institute Charged with Smuggling Gaya Artifacts

Kept Thirty-One Ironware Relics at Home Without Reporting

A former director of a regional research institute under the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage was arrested for secretly smuggling ironware relics from the Gaya period obtained during an archaeological excavation.

Appearance of the confiscated artifacts
[Photo by Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency]

The Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency announced on the 25th that a man in his 60s, Mr. A, who had been secretly keeping ironware relics from the Gaya period at his home, was booked without detention on charges of violating the Cultural Heritage Protection Act.

Mr. A, a fixed-term public official who served as the director of a regional research institute under the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, had participated in domestic archaeological site excavations from 1985 until recently. He was investigated for keeping thirty-one ironware relics, including cast iron parts, arrowheads, and iron spears, obtained from excavation sites in Gimhae, Gyeongnam, and Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi-do, at his home without reporting them.

The relics date back to the 3rd to 5th centuries of the Gaya period and the 1st to 3rd centuries of the Proto-Three Kingdoms period, and are known for their rarity and academic value. However, the police stated that since these items are not traded on the market, it is difficult to assess their monetary value. Most excavated relics are vested in the state according to the disposition by the head of the Cultural Heritage Administration.

Mr. A reportedly denied the charges, stating that he intended to return all the relics. The police are appraising the relics and will take measures such as transferring ownership to the state based on the results.

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