A man says he found the only other copy of the Korean alphabet's founding book while cleaning his house, and the state that owns it cannot find it

The Hunminjeongeum Haerye explains the Korean alphabet issued by King Sejong in 1446. In 2008 Bae Ik-gi of Sangju revealed a second copy, now called the Sangju copy, and said he found it while cleaning his house. An antique dealer surnamed Cho said Bae had stolen it from his shop. Cho sued in 2010 and was declared the owner in 2011. In a criminal case Bae was sentenced to 10 years, but the conviction was overturned in September 2012 for lack of evidence that he stole it. Cho pledged the book to the state in 2012 and died that December. Bae kept it hidden. In March 2015 a fire at his house destroyed a page and damaged others. The Cultural Heritage Administration has valued the copy at over 1 trillion won. Bae asked for 100 billion won to hand it over. On 15 July 2019 the Supreme Court ruled that he could not stop the state, as owner, from recovering it. Since 2017 the agency has sent more than 20 demands and searched his home, office and a teahouse without finding it. In October 2024 Bae said the state must pay him or investigate the case again. The agency says compensation is impossible. The book's location is unknown.