SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) -- With rare 14th-century Buddhist relics having come home from an American museum, President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday credited tighter Seoul-Washington ties with making the return possible.
The celebration of the return of the relics, which are the remains of Buddhist monks from the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), took place in Yangju, some 30 kilometers north of Seoul, with some 4,000 attendees on hand.
President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) and first lady Kim Keon Hee pray during a Buddhist ceremony marking the return of the 14th-century Buddhist relics from the United States to South Korea held in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, on May 19, 2024. (Yonhap)
Called "sarira," these remains had been housed in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, for 85 years after apparently being taken out of Korea illegally during the 1910-1945 Japanese colonial period. The remains are believed to originate from Hoeam Temple in Yangju, and Sunday's ceremony took place on the lot where the temple once stood.
In February, the Boston museum agreed to return the remains to the Jogye Order, the largest Buddhist sect in South Korea.
Then a delegation of the Jogye Order collected the relics during a Buddhist transfer ceremony held in Boston on April 16. They were unveiled to the media in South Korea three days later.
In his congratulatory address, Yoon said Sunday was a "joyous occasion" for the Korean Buddhist community and the Korean people alike.
"These relics are precious national heritage that represents the legitimacy and doctrines of Korean Buddhism, and it has been a long and arduous process to bring them home," Yoon said. "As South Korea and the United States became closer, it led to the resolution of this issue."
Yoon said the perseverance and hard work by both the Korean people and the government also played a part, with Buddha offering divine protection along the way.
President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) and first lady Kim Keon Hee attend a Buddhist ceremony marking the return of 14th-century Buddhist relics from the United States to South Korea held in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, on May 19, 2024. (Yonhap)
"Such protection from Buddha wouldn't have come without prayers and devotion from our people," Yoon added. "Going forward, I will not evade difficult tasks in running the government, no matter how challenging they may be. I will continue to work hard for the people."
First lady Kim Keon Hee accompanied Yoon at the ceremony, her first appearance in a public event since December. Kim did attend an official luncheon with visiting Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and his wife, Pech Chanmony, last week.
Ven. Jinwoo, leader of the Jogye sect, thanked Kim for attending and asked for her continued support for Buddhism in South Korea.
According to Yoon's office, the Jogye Order asked for Kim's presence because she'd played an integral role in bringing the remains home.
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