- Agreement Concluded between the National Museum of Korea and the National Library of France

The National Museum of Korea(NMK) has concluded the agreement on the return of the Oegyujanggak* Uigwe(Archives)**  with the National Library of France(BnF) in Paris on March 16th, 2011 at 11 A.M. local time.

The two delegations led by Dr. Kim Youngna, Director-General of the NMK, and Mr. Bruno Racine, President of the BnF, have worked out the details of the agreement to finalize the return of two hundred ninety-seven Oegyujanggak Uigwe from the National Library of France.

The content of the agreement, a result from an agreement reached between President Lee Myung-bak of Republic of Korea and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France during the Korea-France Summit held in Seoul on November 12, 2010, followed by the  inter-governmental agreement of Park Heung-shin, Korean Ambassador to France, and Paul Jean-Ortiz, Director for Asia-Pacific Affairs of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, specifies the returning procedures of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe.

The two hundred ninety-seven Archives had been taken by the French Military from Oegyujanggak* in GangHwa Island without permission in 1866. The location was first verified in 1975 with the help from Dr. Park Byeong-seon, a Korean-French bibliographer who was working at the National Library of France, and starting from 1991, the Korean government and scholastic community consistently have been working for the return to finally see the actual outcome after twenty years.

According to the bilateral agreement, the Oegyujanggak Uigwe is to be safely returned to Korea in four times between April and May this year, and will be secured in the storage for calligraphic works located in the basement of the NMK.

*Oegyujanggak - Oe meaning 'outer', Oegyujanggak was an additional royal depository annexed to Gyujanggak, Korean Royal Library founded in 1776 of Joseon Dynasty, established by King Jeongjo in GangHwa Island in 1782 in the intention to protect the Royal Archives.

**Uigwe(Archives) - collection of royal records, calligraphic manuscripts, ancient books, and documents that account major ceremonies and rites of the Royal Families from Joseon Dynasty.

The first batch of Oegyujanggak Uigwe arrived on Thursday, 14th of April.