A gilt-bronze seated Buddhist statue will be returned to a temple where it used to belong, 30 years after it was stolen, the Cultural Heritage Administration said Monday.

The Gilt Bronze Seated Amitabha Buddha, tangible cultural asset number 100 of South Chungcheong Province, was stolen from Muryang Temple in Buyeo in July 1989.

It was one of four Buddhist statues excavated while the five-story pagoda at the temple, Muryang Temple Five-storied Stone Pagoda, designated as national treasure number 185, was being repaired.

Last year, Songam Art Museum in Incheon raised the possibility that the statue in its possession might be a stolen cultural asset, which the CHA later confirmed.

The statue, 33.5 cm in height, is presumed to have been made during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). (Yonhap)