South Korean Culture Minister Yoo Jin-ryong said two Buddhist statues stolen last year from Japan should be returned to their owners in Nagasaki Prefecture, according to Hakubun Shimomura, his Japanese counterpart.

Shimomura told reporters that Yoo made the remarks Friday during a bilateral meeting held ahead of a trilateral summit slated for later Saturday, and which was to also include China's minister of culture.

Yoo is the first senior South Korean government official to call for the statues to be returned to Japan, according to Japanese diplomats.