National Heritage Administration Recovers Artifact with Support from Riot Games
Plaque from Royal Palace Building that Housed Portraits of Past Kings
To be Unveiled on the 27th at the National Palace Museum
‘A plaque from a Joseon Dynasty royal palace building that housed the portraits of past kings has returned from Japan after over 100 years.’
The National Heritage Administration and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation announced on the 3rd that, with support from Riot Games last year, they have recovered a plaque believed to have hung at Gyeongbokgung Palace’s Seonwonjeon Hall. An ornamental tile figure from the palace’s roof, known as a japsang, was also recovered. The actual plaque will be unveiled on the 27th at the National Palace Museum in Seoul.
The plaque, measuring 312 cm in width and 140 cm in height, has the words “Seonwonjeon” inscribed in gold Chinese characters on a black background. In Korean, it translates to “source of beautiful jade.” This refers to the royal family being likened to jade, and the building as a place honoring the history of the royal lineage.
Seonwonjeon Hall was a palace building used during the Joseon Dynasty to enshrine the portraits of past kings and conduct ancestral rites. The plaque is a cultural heritage item that serves as the “nameplate” of the building. The Joseon royal family had Seonwonjeon in Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, and Gyeongungung (now Deoksugung) Palaces. Gyeongbokgung’s Seonwonjeon was demolished during the Japanese occupation, with the current location of the National Folk Museum of Korea being part of its grounds.
The recovered plaque is believed to have hung in Gyeongbokgung’s Seonwonjeon after it was rebuilt in 1868. According to the Seungjeongwon Diary, the calligrapher was Seo Seung-bo (1814–1877). The National Heritage Administration stated that scientific analysis of the pigments used in the plaque matched materials recorded in the Uigwe documents, which describe the reconstructions of Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung.
It is believed that Terauchi Masatake, the first Resident-General of Korea, took the Seonwonjeon plaque to Japan when he left Korea in 1916. The building where the plaque was stored was destroyed by a typhoon, and a construction worker involved in dismantling the building collected it. It is known that the worker’s family has since kept the artifact.
The National Heritage Administration and the foundation confirmed that the item appeared in a Japanese antique auction in 2023 and proceeded to purchase it. An official stated, “We explained to the owner the significance of the Seonwonjeon plaque as a cultural heritage item of the Joseon royal family and actively negotiated for its return.”
This marks the seventh cultural heritage recovery effort in which Riot Games has participated. Since 2012, Riot Games has helped recover various artifacts such as the “Royal Prince Consort Jianbing of Queen Sinjeong’s Death Tablet” and the “Buddha Triad Painting.” An official from the National Heritage Administration noted, “Riot Games’ contribution was significant, marking its 13th year as a heritage protector.”
The National Heritage Administration and the foundation plan to unveil the plaque at the National Palace Museum on the 27th, where it will be systematically managed and used for academic research and exhibitions.