The Tenth King of Hell (1798), Joseon dynasty (1392–1910), Korea. Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk.
(November 14, 2025)— The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today that it is returning a Buddhist painting, titled The Tenth King of Hell (1798), to the Sinheungsa Temple in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, Korea. The work is believed to have been taken while the Temple was under the control of the United States Army during the Korean War. Through cooperation with, the Sokcho Committee for the Return of Cultural Heritage, and the Sinheungsa Temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the Museum is restoring the work to the Temple.
The return was marked by a ceremony in Seoul, Korea, today with: Max Hollein, Director and CEO of The Met; Heo Min, Administrator of Korea Heritage Service; Kwak Chang-yong, Secretary-General of the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation; Lee Byung-seon, Mayor of the City of Sokcho; Lee Sang-rae, Chairman of the Sokcho Committee for the Return of Cultural Heritage; and Chief Monk Ji-hye of Sinheungsa Temple.
“We are honored to partner with the Sokcho Committee for the Return of Cultural Heritage and Sinheungsa Temple on the return of this important work of art,” said Max Hollein, The Met’s Director and CEO. “The Met has a long history of working with colleagues and institutions in Korea, and we look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts to enhance the world's understanding and appreciation of the arts of Korea."
Heo Min, Administrator of the Korea Heritage Service, stated, “The KHS and the Foundation have strengthened the foundation for cultural heritage repatriation and international cooperation through support for civic organizations. This case is an excellent example of close collaboration between the public and private sectors leading to meaningful results.”
Lee Sang-rae, Chairman of the Committee, remarked, “We are delighted that the Tenth King of Hell has returned to its original home. Our cultural heritage holds its greatest meaning when it is in its rightful place. We will continue our efforts to ensure that the remaining three Ten Kings of the Underworld paintings still abroad can also return home.”
The Tenth King of Hell (1798) was purchased by the Museum in 2007. The work is believed to have been originally housed in the Sinheung Temple (Sinheungsa) in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, in South Korea. At The Met, the work was exhibited as part of the Museum’s Korean Art (2012) and Arts of Korea (2008) exhibitions.
The return is the result of a collaborative investigation between the Museum and representatives from the Temple and the Sokcho Committee for the Return of Cultural Heritage who visited the Museum several times to work with the Museum’s curators and researchers regarding the work’s provenance. In 2025, the Museum and Temple representatives agreed the painting should be returned to the Temple.
About the Artwork
In the Buddhist world, the Ten Kings of Hell serve as judges of the deceased to determine their fate, including the type and severity of punishment and the course of their cycle of rebirth. This painting depicts the Tenth King in the standard guise of a warrior, and originally formed part of a set of ten scrolls (six of which were formerly in collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and now at Sinheungsa Temple). Seated prominently in the center, the king is surrounded by a retinue of attendants and significant figures of the underworld, including messengers, judges, and wardens. At the top right corner, tiny figures float on a rainbowlike stream (a symbol of the six paths of rebirth) emanating from a double-headed beastly figure (representing the Evil Spirit) at the lower right. The dead, receiving punishments for their transgressions, populate the lower half of the painting.
The inscription written in Hanja characters at the top right—第十五道轉輪大王黑暗地獄戊午甲 (Hangeul: 제십오도전륜대왕흑암지옥무오갑)—may be translated as “The Tenth Great King of the Five Ways and the Right Law, in the darkest hell, painted in the cyclical year muo,” a date that corresponds to 1798.
Korean Art at The Met
The Met opened its Arts of Korea Gallery in 1998 with generous support from The Korea Foundation and the Samsung Foundation of Culture through the KF grant and The Kun-Hee Lee Fund for Korean Art, respectively. The gallery was designed by architect Kyu Sung Woo. Highlights of the Korean art collection are celadon ceramics and Buddhist paintings of the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) and porcelain and lacquer of the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910). Along with changing displays of works of art from the collection, the Museum periodically presents thematic exhibitions featuring loans from collections in the United States and abroad, providing an overview of Korea’s artistic and cultural heritage.
Critically acclaimed and popular special exhibitions of Korean art at The Met in recent years include Silla: Korea’s Golden Kingdom (2013–14); Korea: 100 Years of Collecting at the Met (2015–16); Diamond Mountains: Travel and Nostalgia in Korean Art (2018); Shell and Resin: Korean Mother-of-Pearl and Lacquer (2021–22); Jegi: Korean Ritual Objects (2023); and Lineages: Korean Art at The Met (2023–2024). Currently on view in The Met’s Arts of Korea gallery is Colorful Korea: The Lea R. Sneider Collection (through February 15, 2026), which presents approximately 90 works from the fifth century to the present and highlight a substantial gift and loans from the Lea R. Sneider Collection.
About The Met’s Cultural Property Initiative
The repatriation follows the launch of The Met’s Cultural Property Initiative, announced in 2023, which includes undertaking a focused review of works in the collection. The Met’s suite of initiatives related to cultural property and collecting practices include, in addition to a focused review of the collection, hiring additional provenance researchers to join the many researchers and curators already doing this work at the Museum; further engaging staff and trustees; and using The Met’s platform to support and contribute to public discourse on this topic.
The Museum has since appointed Lucian Simmons to the role of Head of Provenance and the expansion of provenance research positions from 6 to 11. Research into the collection led the Met to recently return two ancient works to the Republic of Türkiye, 14 ancient sculptures to the Republic of Italy—three of which will remain on view at The Met as loans from Italy—and two objects to the Republic of Spain. As part of a commitment to transparency, The Met has launched object webpages for all restituted works of art, specifying that the object has been returned and to what country.
The Met has long engaged with countries around the globe as part of its commitment to the shared stewardship of the world’s cultural heritage and has established key international partnerships, including landmark agreements for collaboration and shared stewardship with the Republics of Greece, Yemen, and India, among others.
Further information on The Met’s collecting practices and activities is available online.
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About The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded in 1870 by a group of American citizens—businessmen and financiers as well as leading artists and thinkers of the day—who wanted to create a museum to bring art and art education to the American people. Today, The Met displays tens of thousands of objects covering 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online. Since its founding, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum’s galleries and through its exhibitions, events and educational programs, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures. The Met presents over 29,000 educational events and programs throughout the year to make art accessible to everyone, regardless of background, disability, age, or experience.
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November 14, 2025