Shin Yoon-bok’s painting, which returned after 197 years, disappeared again… Suspected theft.

‘Gosa Inmuldo’ taken during the last Joseon mission dispatched Returns to the home country after 197 years in 2008
Reported stolen after 4 years, investigation and request for tips, “According to the Cultural Heritage Administration on the 17th, the organization ‘Huam Future Research Institute’, which owned the ‘Gosa Inmuldo’ of Hye Won Shin Yun-bok (1758∼?), recently reported that the painting went missing and filed a theft report with Jongno-gu Office in Seoul.”, “Gosa Inmuldo refers to a painting depicting anecdotes related to mythological or historical figures. This particular painting depicts the ‘Chiljong Chilgeum’ story in which Jikji Jeong Sangbok, a character from the Three Kingdoms Era, catches the king of Namman Country, Manghoek, seven times and then releases him, turning him into a loyal subject. In the upper right corner, there is an inscription saying ‘Painted by Hye Won of Joseon Country.'”, “This painting is believed to have been taken to Japan during the last Joseon mission in 1811. The painting was also exhibited at the ‘Viewing Joseon Diplomatic Missions through Paintings’ exhibition held at the National Palace Museum in 2015.”, “At that time, the museum introduced it as a representative painting that came and went between the two countries through the Joseon missions, suggesting that Pijo Jeong, a relative of Shin Yun-bok’s extended family, asked Shin Yun-bok to paint it and took it to Japan.”, “The Cultural Heritage Administration explained that the painting, created by Shin Yun-bok in 1811, returned to the country in 2008 after being purchased by an individual from a collector in Japan and coming back after 197 years.”, “The artwork garnered attention when it was put up for auction in 2008, as there were very few works by Shin Yun-bok available. It was estimated to be auctioned off for 400-500 million won but was ultimately not sold, likely due to the economic downturn.”, “The Huam Future Research Institute, which had been the owner of the painting, considers it stolen between 2019 and 2020. They reported to the local government and the Cultural Heritage Administration, stating that they had stored the rolled-up painting in a paulownia wood box in the office but found it missing during the office cleaning process in January 2020.”, “Although the institute requested a police investigation, it was reported that they could not confirm the whereabouts of the painting.”, “After about 4 years, they recently reported the theft through Jongno-gu Office, and the Cultural Heritage Administration disclosed this fact through the ‘Stolen National Heritage Information’ on the official website. The Cultural Heritage Administration plans to verify information related to the painting by checking the art market and major trade markets and seeking tips.”