A French court has rejected a suit filed by a Korean civic group against France requesting the return of ancient Korean royal books the French plundered during an 1866 invasion of Korea.

A Paris court said that regardless of the means of acquisition, the books are a national asset legally owned by the French National Library (La Bibliothèque nationale de France) and therefore cannot be returned.

In response, the Korean group Cultural Action said the books cannot be considered a national asset, as plundering of cultural properties was regarded as illegal even in those days.

The group is mulling whether to pursue an appeal and, if so, whether to raise public donations to shoulder the massive trial costs, as it did for the first trial.