China-South Korea Lion Sculpture Handover Marks Improved Bilateral Ties
Quick Look
- The Kansong Art Museum in Seoul officially handed over two Qing dynasty lion sculptures to China, marking the implementation of a diplomatic agreement signed by Presidents Xi Jinping and Lee Jae Myung.
- The return symbolizes noticeably improved bilateral ties after a decade of strained relations.
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Why It Matters
The museum considered returning the sculptures over a decade ago, but the plan was shelved due to strained bilateral relations after the 2016 deployment of a US THAAD missile defence system in South Korea, viewed by Beijing as a security threat.
The male and female lions, each standing 1.9 metres (6ft) tall and weighing 1.25 tonnes, were officially handed over by the Kansong Art Museum at a ceremony in Seoul on Thursday and were set to depart for China on Friday, according to the Chinese embassy.
Senior cultural officials and diplomats from both nations attended the handover of the lions, which have stood at the museum’s entrance for more than eight decades.
The ceremony marked the implementation of an agreement signed in the presence of President Xi Jinping and his South Korean counterpart Lee Jae Myung during the latter’s visit to Beijing in January.
According to local media reports, the museum considered returning the sculptures more than a decade ago. The plan was shelved amid strained bilateral relations after the 2016 deployment of a US THAAD missile defence system in South Korea, viewed by Beijing as a security threat.
Momentum for the return of the sculptures – identified by Chinese and South Korean experts as Qing dynasty artefacts carved from marble quarried in northern China – gathered pace with the noticeably improved bilateral ties since Lee took office in 2025.
