MOSCOW, November 25 (Sputnik) — Four citizens of South Korea were arrested in the south of Japan for an alleged theft of an ancient Buddha statue, fuelling anti-Korean attitudes in the island nation.
The detained South Koreans, among whom is a 70-year-old man named Kim, are charged with stealing a religious artefact. They were taken into custody on Monday after a failed attempt to steal a copper Buddha temple statue in Mitsushima, a town on an island in the Nagasaki prefecture, according to a Yonhap News report. The island is located halfway between South Korea and Japan. The youngest of the thieves is 47 years old, police say.
The copper statue is 11 cm tall and is considered one the city’s most valuable cultural assets. It was found in a paper bag, carried by one of the plunderers. Local police suspect the four Koreans of multiple artifact thefts, as they possessed several sacred Buddhist manuscripts along with the statue.
The Koreans were arrested in the city’s port, attempting to board a ferry for Busan, South Korea. Of the four men, two pleaded guilty, whilst the rest firmly deny the charges.
Local officials say the statue is called “Birth of Buddha” and dates back to the 9th to 11th century. The manuscripts recovered are dated to the 14th century and may be missing from the same temple, police say.
Tsushima’s Buddhist artifacts have recently become bounty for South Korean smugglers. In October 2012 two statues and several manuscripts disappeared from three temples in Tsushima. Soon afterward the statues were discovered in South Korea; several months later the South Korean Court ordered the return of the statues, belonging to a shrine and a temple on the island. The scriptures are, however, still missing.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry has already intervened in yesterday’s incident, saying it is sending representatives to Tsushima to investigate the crime.
"Currently, the Korean government is determining the facts. Necessary consular support will be provided to ensure the case is handled in a swift and fair manner," the Ministry said.
The case may mar bilateral relations, as the sides have not yet settled WWII-related issues like sex slavery practiced by the Japanese military in Korea, as well as territorial disputes around the Seoul-controlled small islands of Dokdo.
