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The first National Treasure Buddha statue to be auctioned…Who will win the bid?

◀ anchor ▶

Two national treasures have been put on the auction market for the first time ever.

The starting price of the auction is expected to reach billions of won, and the holding conditions are strict.

It is interesting to see who will win the bid.

Correspondent Jeon Dong-hyeok reported.

◀ Report ▶

A gilt-bronze statue of a beautiful three-honored Buddha with a head-honored Buddha standing against the background of a colorfully patterned light pear, with a side view of the Bodhisattva on either side.

This national treasure, presumed to have been made during the Goguryeo period, is engraved with the words “It was made for my deceased father in November of the year of Gyemi” on the back, adding to the value.

[임영애/동국대 미술사학과 교수]

“If you look at the style of the Buddha statue, you can see it as 563 (the year of production). It is very important because it tells you the absolute year.”

Another national treasure, the gilt-bronze trinity.

It is composed of a small Buddha hall called ‘Gam’ and the three Buddhas that go into it.

The wooden architectural style of the Goryeo period can be seen from the detailed ‘persimmon’ roof.

The Kansong Museum of Art has put up two national treasures it had in its possession on the domestic auction market due to financial pressure.

It is the first time in history that a national treasure has been put up for auction.

The auction company estimates that the winning bids for the two national treasures are from 3.2 billion won to 4.5 billion won for the Trinity statue and 2.8 billion to 4 billion won for the Trinity Buddha statue.

If the bid is successful, it is highly likely to break the highest price for cultural properties.

If you own a national treasure, you must report it whenever you move its storage location in accordance with the Cultural Heritage Protection Act.

Because of this, experts predicted that individuals or private corporations would have relatively low chances of owning a national treasure at the high price and storage difficulties.

[정준모/한국미술품감정연구센터장]

“There are a lot of cases where people don’t interpret the intentions of those who buy and store them in good faith, and they are misrepresented and gossip. That is why everyone is hesitant…

The National Museum of Korea is considering participating in the auction, but it is still cautious as its annual budget is only 3.9 billion won.

Who will own the two national treasures will be decided at the auction on the 27th.

This is MBC Jeon Dong-hyuk.

Video coverage: Na Kyung-woon / Video editing: Kim Jin-woo

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