A total of 1,205 volumes of Korean royal books, including 150 originals, currently housed in the Imperial Household Agency of Japan will be returned to Korea. During the 18th APEC Summit, held in Yokohama, Japan, on November 14, President Lee Myung-bak and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan agreed on the return of the books, which includes Uigwe, the Royal Protocols of the Joseon Dynasty, a collection of books that records significant rites and ceremonies of the royal family. Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and his Japanese counterpart Seiji Maehara also attended the meeting and signed the “Intergovernmental Agreement on Books between Korea and Japan,” which stipulated the conclusions reached by the two heads of states. The agreement is based on the remarks made by the Japanese Prime Minister on August 10 this year, in which he promised the return of Korean books taken away by the Government-General of Joseon during the Japanese colonial rule and have since been managed by the Japanese government. Before the agreement, experts from both countries discussed what books to be returned from November 1 to 2 in Tokyo. In the meeting, Japanese experts explained the books that they would return, and their Korean counterparts expressed their views on them. The books that will be returned include Uigwe, the Royal Protocols of the Joseon Dynasty (167 volumes including 81 originals), Jeungbo munheon bigo, the expanded version of the Reference Compilation of Documents on Korea (99 volumes including 2 originals), Daejeon hoetong, Great Administrative Code (1 volume including 1 original) and other royal books (938 volumes including 66 originals) taken away from Gyujanggak, the royal library of the Joseon Dynasty. As the year 2010 marks the 100th anniversary of the Korea-Japan Annexation, the return of Korean royal books is more significant as it can be a good opportunity for both countries to settle the time-old historical conflicts through cultural exchange. The agreement will take effect on the date when both governments conclude their procedures domestically and notify the fact to each other. Accordingly, a practical procedure for returning the books will happen after a series of discussions on details within six months after the effectuation of the agreement. The Cultural Heritage Administration will strive to implement follow-up measures properly so as to return the books “safely and without fail” to this country after the agreement comes into effect. Also, given the royal books’ symbolic meaning as a case of the return of cultural heritage taken away to Japan, the CHA will make utmost efforts to safely hold and effectively use the royal books in the future.