Official seal of Joseon Dynasty king found

SEOUL, March 17 (Yonhap) -- The authenticity of a seal used by the 26th king of
Korea's Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) has been conclusively proven and the artefact
will be displayed to the public soon, cultural heritage officials said Tuesday.

The turtle-shaped seal used by King Gojong was purchased by the National Palace
Museum of Korea in December last year from a private Korean collector residing in
the United States. The museum spent three months analyzing the authenticity of
the seal, officials revealed.
Although replicas of Joseon Dynasty seals have been revealed to the public
before, this will be the first time that an original seal of the ancient kingdom
has been exhibited.
"As seen from letters sent to the kings of Germany, Italy, Russia and France in
the past, King Gojong used two seals for his letters sent abroad. We have managed
to acquire one of them, which will soon be disclosed to the public," the national
museum and the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea said in a joint press
release.
"We think the seal was produced sometime around 1901-1903 and was used in a
sealed letter sent to the Italian king in 1903."
The Joseon Dynasty had 27 kings, all of whom used dozens of seals to sign
official documents and autograph letters, but none of them have been unearthed
until now.
A document during the era of King Sunjong, the last emperor of Joseon, implies
many of the seals were handed over and destroyed by the Japanese government at
the beginning of its colonial rule of Korea (1910-45).
The government plans to designate the seal a national treasure, the national
museum said.
The seal, made from a mix of gold and silver, is 4.8 centimeters-tall and weighs
747 grams.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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