A lawmaker of the main opposition Democratic Party has called on the United States to return a royal seal that belonged to Queen Moonjeong of the Joseon Dynasty.
 
An Min-suk made the call when he visited the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Thursday.
 
An said the museum said it would return the royal seal, which as a knob in the shape of a turtle, if it's confirmed U.S. soldiers stole it during the Korean War.
 
An said he presented to the museum a copy of a U.S. State Department report acknowledging that U.S. soldiers stole royal seals from royal ancestral shrines during the war. Kyung Hee University Professor Kim Joon-hyuk, who accompanied An to the museum, noted that a piece of paper on top of the seal that states “Queen Dowager” proves the seal belongs to Queen Moonjeong.
 
Royal seals were used for various ceremonies within the royal courts. U.S. soldiers are presumed to have stolen 47 such seals during the Korean War. Out of the 47, the U.S. returned four to South in line with various procedures. Aside from the one in the Los Angeles museum, the remaining 42 have yet to be found.  
 
The U.S. actively returns cultural assets to their home country if it is proved that such assets were acquired through illegal means.