A South Korean-born French historian who was the biggest contributor in the return of a collection of ancient Korean royal books from France has died at the age of 83. Park Byeng-sen died on Tuesday in Paris.

She was receiving treatment at a hospital in Paris after undergoing surgery for rectal cancer. Her conditions turned for the worse, and she passed away around 6:40 a.m. Wednesday, Korea time.

The South Korean Embassy in France will set up a memorial altar at the Korean Cultural Center in Paris and will discuss funeral procedures with her family.

In 1972, Park was working as a librarian at the National Library of France when she unearthed the existence of Korea's "Jikjisimcheyojeol," the world's oldest metal printing type.

She also discovered that Korea's looted royal books were among the collections of the library and notified Seoul of this fact in 1979.

For her efforts, she received a medal from the South Korean government.

The royal books titled "Oegyujanggak," which illustrates ceremonies performed during the Joseon Dynasty, were returned to Korea in May.