Korea and France have completed the digitization of 30 looted books that date back to the Joseon Dynasty.

The books were taken by French soldiers from Ganghwa Island in 1866. They had been stored there at "Oegyujanggak," an auxiliary facility of the royal library Gyujanggak.

Since then, the books have been stored at France’s national archives.

The digital version of the ancient Korean books will be posted on the Web sites of Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration and the French National Archives late next month.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said the digitization reflects the two countries’ friendly relations and continued negotiations. The two sides plan to digitize more looted Oegyujanggak books after further talks.