South Korean temple to erect replica of statue returned to Japan: sources

SEOUL - A South Korean temple that handed over a 14th-century Buddhist statue last year to the Japanese temple from which it was stolen will enshrine a replica made from three-dimensional data, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday.

Buseoksa Temple in the western city of Seosan in South Korea had claimed ownership of the statue, which was taken by South Korean thieves in 2012 from a temple in Nagasaki Prefecture, saying it was made in South Korea. But the country's Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that the statue belongs to the Japanese temple.