앙결재
JUN 16 1958
차관
국장

June 14, 1958

TO : Office of the President
FROM : Vice Minister Foreign Affaire
SUBJECT: The Year of 1905 (in connection with return of Korean art objects.)
As for the return of the Korean art objects, which is now subject for discussion at the Korea-Japan overall talks (at Sub-committee on Korean Claims), the position of our Government is that the Japanese Government should turn over to us all those art objects taken away from Korea since 1905. However, our delegation does not seem to understand clearly why the year of 1905 should specifically be designated as marking the range of time for return of the removed art objects. Our position is based on the following consideration.
In a series of aggressive designs in modern times, Japan early had an eye to occupation of Korea. The outcome of the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese Wars served to further this Japanese ambition. Immediately after the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese war in February 1904, the Japanese came upon Korea for free utilization of strategic points in Korea, by concluding the Korea-Japan Protocol. On August 22, the same year, Japan forced upon Korea the First Korea-Japan Agreement, Which provided for dispatching to the Imperial Korean Government of Japanese advisors on diplomatic and financial affairs. The conducting of national affairs in Korea was thus placed under the constant surveillance of those Japanese "advisors".
When the Russo-Japanese War came to an end with Japan's "special interests" over Korea being recognized at the Portsmouth Peace Conference, the Japanese soon set to engulfing Korea. The Machiavellian Prince Ito, then the moving power in the Japanese Government, forced with intimidation the Imperial Korean Government into signing on November 17, 1905 the Second Korea-Japan Agreement (so-called Five-Article Treaty), which made Korea a protectorate of Japan. A Resident General was dispatched to Korea in the person of Ito. Japan virtually seized actual control of Korea. The Japanese were able to do anything they wanted to. It was rather easy for them to take away national treasures from Korea.
During the transitory period from 1905 to 1910, the Japanese consolidated their grip on Korea through a series of imperialistic policies and intimidations, which culminated in the signing of the Annexation Treaty on August 22, 1910. The history of Japanese occupation of Korea, therefore, should be recorded from the year of 1905.
In 1906, when Viscount, Tanaka was sent to Korea by the Japanese Emperor to attend the wedding ceremony of the Korean Crown Prince, he asked the Korean King to give the beautiful and ancient Pagoda of Pungdok as a present. Being turned down indignantly by the King, Tanada sent a company of armed Japanese soldiers to dismantle the Pagoda, and shipped it to Japan. It was an illustrating manner in which the Japanese rooted recklessly national treasures from Korea, even before the annexation of Korea in 1910. Since 1905, Korean national treasures were taken away to Japan in large quantity by the marauding Japanese. The range of time for return of the removed Korean art objects should be set from the year of 1905.