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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Mari Yamaguchi

A statue stolen from a Japanese temple is finally returned from South Korea

A 14th-century Buddhist statue of the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, stolen in October 2012 and taken to South Korea, sits after returned at Kannon Temple on Tsushima Island, southwestern Japan, Monday, May 12, 2025. (Haruna Furuhashi/Kyodo News via AP) - (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

A 14th-century Korean Buddhist statue, stolen from a Japanese temple nearly 13 years ago, has finally returned home.

The repatriation, which took place on Monday, marks the end of a protracted legal battle between Japan and South Korea over the statue's ownership, a dispute that further complicated the already delicate relationship between the two countries.

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