S Korean temple returns stolen Buddha statue to Japanese owner

A South Korean temple that claimed ownership of a 14th-century Buddha statue stolen from a Japanese temple in 2012 handed it over to the Japanese owner on Saturday.

While the statue, taken by South Korean thieves, has been recovered by local authorities, Buseoksa Temple in Seosan, southwest of Seoul, claims that it was looted from the temple by Japanese pirates centuries ago.

People representing Kannonji, a temple on Japan’s Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture, said they will return the statue to the temple on Monday.

The South Korean temple showed the statue to visitors for 100 days before returning it.

In 2017, the Daejeon District Court order that the government to transfer the statue to Buseoksa Temple, hurting Japan-South Korea ties already soured by historical issues.

In 2023, the Daejeon High Court overturned the district court ruling and South Korea’s Supreme Court upheld the decision later that year.