By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
The International Committee for Museums of Ethnography (ICME) is holding its 2009 annual conference in Seoul through Oct. 24 at the National Folk Museum of Korea.
The conference, titled ``Reconciliation and Peace,'' aims at discussing the field of folklore and cultural heritage studies and addressing the growing role of museums in a changing society.
The conference is the committee's largest ever, with 118 participants from 46 countries, and its first to take place in Northeast Asia.
``I am very honored to host the international event here in Seoul. I hope the academic seminars and cultural programs will contribute to enhancing Korean folk culture and history. Also, the meeting will expand the horizon of our folk museum through exchanges of the views and research of the world's distinguished scholars,'' Shin Kwang-seop, director of the National Folk Museum of Korea, said at the opening ceremony.
The title of the conference refers to a topic much of concern in today's world. Inherent in intercultural understanding are such values as mutual respect, trust and shared commitment for each other and the institutions of multi-ethnic and multi-cultural societies.
The conference will also seek to discuss how ethnographic museums have tackled the issue of reconciliation and peace.
Distinguished professionals from around the world will deal with the issue both from the point of view of museums and public programs.
The meeting will adopt a Seoul declaration to state the role of folk museums in the reconciliation and peace of the world.
The participants will also visit Andong and Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province to experience Korean history, folk and culture and the country's intangible cultural heritages, from Oct. 22 to 24.
The ICME is an international committee within the International Council of Museums (ICOM). It is comprised of professionals working at and with museums, including museums of ethnography, ethnology, and anthropology, and folk and popular culture museums.