The Cultural Heritage Administration will finalize its official purchase of the Korean Legation building in Washington DC, with a signing ceremony and a following press conference in the US capital. The signing ceremony, held together with Korea’s National Trust for Cultural Heritage (NTCH), is scheduled at the National Press Club in the DC on October 18 at 12:00 PM (local time). At the ceremony, Mr. Kim Chan, the Administrator of the CHA, representing the Korean government and Mr. Timothy JENKINS and Ms Lauretta JENKINS, the owners of the former legation building, will sign the contract to transfer the ownership of the diplomatic house, which the Korean government unrelentingly lost to colonial Japan in the early 20th century. Korean ambassador Choi Young-jin and other important figures from the Korean-American society and experts will participate at the venue for celebration. After signing the contract, Administrator Kim is going to appear at the press conference to express his thanks for all the endeavors to purchase the historic building especially made by Koreans living in the US and will brief the overall procedure taken to get the historic building back as well as explain what he expects from the country’s taking over the deprived house 102 years ago. At the conference, copies of contract documents related to the building are going to be revealed as well, which includes King Gojong’s purchase of the building in 1891 at the amount of 25,000 US dollars and his selling only at five dollars to Japan defying his intention in June 1910. On the same day at 3 PM, a seminar for discussion on the building’s future is planned at the nearby Korea Economic Institute building. The seminar, to be held in celebration of the recovering of the historic legation, will start with a keynote speech by Professor Kim Jung-dong (Mokwon University), a member of the Cultural Heritage Committee of the CHA. People from various arenas from academics to the US-based Korean society will share views and opinions on the repurchasing of the historic building, seeking to find best ways to use the diplomatic house. The CHA and the NTCH will reflect what was discussed at the seminar in its future planning regarding the usage and promotion of the building, which they may put forward to use as a place to promote the Korean culture as well as exhibit the diplomatic history between the ROK and the US.