China Seeks Korea's Help in Finding Stolen Cave Painting

China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage has asked Korea to help find an ancient cave painting. In a letter from the administration's director Shan Jixiang to Cultural Heritage Administration cheif Yi Kun-moo, he said the mural painting was stolen from an ancient Koguryo-era tomb in the city of Jian in eastern Jilin Province in 2000 and is believed to have been taken to Korea.

According to the CHA on Wednsday, the Chinese official in the letter said that three tomb robbers who were arrested and executed back in 2003 confessed that they committed the crime at the direction of a senior figure in Korean antiquities circles and that the cave mural ended up in Korea. China is seeking the Korean government's cooperation under UNESCO rules.

The CHA plans to seek the assistance of police and other agencies to locate the mural and investigate possible accomplices. Lee Kyung-hoon, head of international affairs at CHA, said, "Since China has officially requested our cooperation in finding the stolen mural, we have to respond."