Four Koreans arrested for stealing a Buddha statue in Japan

Four Koreans were arrested by Japanese police on Tuesday for allegedly stealing a Buddha statue in a temple in Japan`s Tsushima city in Nagasaki prefecture. A similar case occurred in October 2012 when a Korean smuggled two Buddha statues in a temple in Tsushima into Korea. The case strained the diplomatic relationship between the two countries.

According to the Korean Consulate General in Fukuoka and Kyodo News Agency on Tuesday, Tsushimaminami Police Station arrested four Korean nationals in their 40s to 70s including a man who is known by his family name Kim, 70, for charges of stealing a Buddha statue in a temple in Mizushima, Tsushima city. Kyodo News Agency said Kim claimed that he is the chief monk of a Korean temple in a police investigation.

The copper statue is about 11 centimeter-high baby Buddha statue, which is estimated to have been made in the 9th century during the Shilla Dynasty. Tsushima city has designated and managed the statue as a tangible cultural asset.