Anchor: The return of 12-hundred Korean royal books looted by Japan during its colonial rule of Korea has been completed after 90 years following their arrival in South Korea Tuesday afternoon. KBS World Radio's Kim Soyon has the story.

Report: Twelve-hundred Korean royal texts were returned home Tuesday including 167 books of the Joseon Wangsil Uigwe, which is a collection of documents illustrating royal protocols of the Joseon Dynasty.

The books were loaded on two separate Korean Air flights at Japan’s Narita International Airport Tuesday afternoon. The two flights with 600 books each arrived at Korea’s Incheon International Airport later that afternoon.

The volumes have come home nine decades after the governor-general of Japan forcibly took them to Japan in 1922 during its colonial occupation of Korea. The Joseon Wangsil Uigwe, books on royal protocols, were held at the Japanese Imperial Household Agency.

A South Korean civic group aimed at retrieving Korean cultural assets launched a committee in 2006 dedicated to bringing back the Joseon Wangsil Uigwe and has since held campaigns for the books’ return.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan gave a speech last year marking the centennial of Japan’s forced annexation of Korea. He promised to return the books and other Joseon Dynasty documents as a way to respond to the wishes of the South Korean people. In October, five books were returned by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda when he visited Seoul for a bilateral summit.

Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba commented Tuesday morning that although there are difficulties in South Korea and Japan relations, it is expected that the return of the books will contribute to improving the sentiment of the two peoples toward each other.

In a telephone interview with Seoul-based Yonhap News, South Korean Ambassador to Japan Shin Kak-soo said that Japan’s voluntary return of the books can be viewed as a sign of its remorse for its past deeds.

After being transported to the National Palace Museum in Seoul, the returned books are expected to go on public display.

Kim Soyon, KBS World Radio News.