Joseon Dynasty texts returned home after 145 years

An Asiana Airlines B777-200 airplane flew 8,100 kilometers for just 10 hours and 35 minutes from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris before arriving at Incheon International Airport in Korea.

It took 145 years, however, for the ancient Korean royal books Oegyujanggak to return home.

The first portion of the Oegyujanggak books, which French naval forces looted in their invasion of a small island off Korea’s west coast in 1866, was returned home Thursday afternoon. They were taken from the National Library of France at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in large trucks before arriving at the cargo terminal of Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Five wooden crates numbered from one to five were carried into the terminal one by one. Each made of four layers of wooden panels and Styrofoam insulators for temperature and humidity control and water-proof pads, the crates were big enough for one person to go in and differed in size.

After being kept in the terminal for six hours, the crates were loaded onto the Asiana flight, which took off at 8:14 p.m. The crew members told the flight’s 155 passengers that they were flying with the ancient royal books that were going home for the first time in 145 years.

The flight touched down at Incheon International Airport at 1:49 p.m. Thursday. As the hulk of the airplane appeared through the heat hazes on the runway, members of the media got busy in front of Gate 43. The plane taxied slowly to the gate before workers in white gloves came out in droves to open the cargo cabin.

The door of the cargo cabin opened and two white containers were taken down onto the runway. As the first batch of the looted books landed home, all reporters, airport staff and passengers getting off the plane took out their cameras and mobile phones to photograph the historic moment.

“I`m so honored (to fly the books) and relieved to arrive on time,” said Bae Jeong-gon, captain of the Asiana airplane.

After about 10 minutes of photo opportunity, the containers were carried on trucks to a cargo terminal 2.5 kilometers away. At the cargo terminal, handling personnel loaded the five crates onto green vibration-proof vehicles for safe transportation.

The trucks arrived at the National Museum of Korea at 4:05 p.m. Culture, Tourism and Sport Minister Choung Byoung-gug, the museum`s director-general Kim Young-na, and the French national museum`s curator Laurent Elichet were there to see the books arrive.

The crates looked clean despite their hectic itinerary. The handling personnel put the crates on the floor. As the crates touched the ground with a heavy thump, everyone around them began to applaud.

The crates were soon taken to the storage vault.

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