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'The Tenth King of Hell' returns to Korea after 70 years

Published: 14 Nov. 2025, 19:44

Sinheung Temple Chief Monk Ji-hye, right, and Max Hollein, director and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, hold up a copy of an agreement during a press conference on the return of a ″Ten Kings of Hell″ painting to the temple, during a press conference at the KGIT Center in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Nov. 14. [YONHAP]

A Buddhist painting from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) believed to have been removed by U.S. forces during the Korean War (1950-53) has been returned to Korea after more than seven decades.

The Korea Heritage Service (KHS), Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, Sokcho Committee for the Return of Cultural Heritage and Sinheung Temple held a press conference Friday at the KGIT Center in Mapo District, western Seoul, to announce that the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) in New York has decided to return “The Tenth King of Hell” (1798) to Sinheung Temple on Mount Seorak in Sokcho, Gangwon.

“Ten Kings of Hell” is a Buddhist painting series depicting the 10 kings who preside over judgment in the afterlife, serving as a key visual representation of Buddhist views of the world beyond death. The recovered painting is the 10th and final piece in the series, which was completed in 1798 during the 22nd year of King Jeongjo’s reign.

Measuring 91.4 centimeters (36 inches) in width and 116.8 centimeters in height, the piece is notable for its intricate brushwork and vivid coloring. Originally housed in the Myeongbujeon Hall at Sinheung Temple, it is believed to have been taken to the United States around 1954, during the postwar U.S. military administration of Sokcho, a site of fierce combat during the Korean War.

″The Tenth King of Hell″ (1798) [THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART]

This is not the first “Ten Kings of Hell” painting to be returned to Korea. In 2020, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art returned six “Ten Kings of Hell” paintings.

With this latest repatriation, seven of the original 10 works have been recovered. The whereabouts of the remaining three are unknown. The newly returned piece will be kept in storage at Sinheung Temple and displayed once the temple’s new sanctuary is completed.

The journey back was not easy. The Met acquired the painting in 2007, but identifying it as part of the Sinheung Temple set and negotiating its return proved complex. Beginning in 2023, the Sokcho committee entered talks with the museum and verified the painting's origin through on-site research. However, the lack of public documentation — much of which was lost during the war — made it difficult to establish a clear timeline or circumstances of its removal.

The interior of the Myeongbujeon Hall of Sinheung Temple in Sokcho, Gangwon, photographed in early summer of 1954, showing the ″Ten Kings of Hell″ statues and paintings. The area marked in yellow indicates where ″The Tenth King of Hell″ (1798) was originally located. [SOKCHO CITY MUSEUM]

“The Japanese governor-general overseeing colonial affairs in Korea recorded ‘The Tenth King of Hell’ in its 1942 inventory of temple assets,” said Lee Sang-rae, chairman of the committee. “But by 1954, it no longer appears in photographs of Sinheung Temple. Ultimately, testimonies from Sokcho elders who remembered the painting were compiled into a video presentation that helped convince the museum.”

“The KHS and the overseas foundation have strengthened the foundation for cultural heritage repatriation and international cooperation through support for civic organizations,” said Huh Min, administrator of the KHS. “This case is an excellent example of close collaboration between the public and private sectors leading to meaningful results.”

“The Met has a long history of working with colleagues and institutions in Korea, and we look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts to enhance the world's understanding and appreciation of the arts of Korea,” said Max Hollein, director and CEO of the Met.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI MIN-JI [[email protected]]