It`s easy to get robbed but trying to reclaim lost items is quite a different matter, not to mention it may take ages for them to be returned. On December 6, however, a pile of books did return. On this day, Japan gave back 1,200 ancient Korean books.
These books had been stored at Japan`s Imperial Household Agency after they were taken away during the Japanese colonial period. They include 167 volumes of 81 royal protocols, called uigwe, of the Joseon Dynasty; 938 volumes of 66 titles taken by then Resident-General Ito Hirobumi; 99 volumes of two editions of “Jeungbo munheon bigo” (Expanded Reference Compilation of Documents); and one volume of “Daejeon hoetong” (Comprehensive Collection of National Codes).
In October, on the occasion of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda`s visit, Japan returned “Daerye uigwe” (The Royal Protocol on Grand Wedding, 1 volume), “Wangseja garye dogam uigwe” (The Royal Protocol on the Wedding of Crown Prince, 2 volumes) and “Jeongmyo eoje” (Handwritten Texts by King Jeongjo, 2 volumes).