A funeral ceremony has been held for a South Korean-born French historian who was the biggest contributor in the return of a collection of ancient Korean royal books from France on Friday local time.

Dr. Park Byeng-sen’s bereaved family and relatives, South Korean ambassador to France Park Heung-sin, and South Korean residents in the area, were among some 100 mourners there.

Her cremated remains are set to arrive in Korea on Wednesday, where they will be laid to rest at the Seoul National Cemetery.

Park died of rectal cancer at the age of 83 in Paris on Tuesday.

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 text printed with metal type. It’s a collection of Buddhist Zen teachings and treaties compiled by the Venerable Baekun of the Goryeo Dynasty in 1377 and predates by 78 years Germany’s Gutenberg Bible published in 1455.

She also discovered that the royal books of the Joseon Dynasty looted by French troops in the late 19th century 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.