A Buddhist monk known for his efforts in recovering stolen Korean cultural properties has demanded the Tokyo National Museum return artifacts in its possession that were found to have been taken illegally.

The monk, Hye Moon, said he had sent a document requesting the return of 34 artifacts from the museum's Okura Collection that were found to have been looted from Korea.

The Okura Collection consists of about one-thousand artifacts collected by Japanese businessmen between the 1910s and the 1950s from throughout the Korean Peninsula.

Hye Moon has said if the museum does not respond to the demand by August 20, a request for mediation will be filed to a Japanese court on August 29.