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As living treasures age, Korea chronicles keepers of its ancient soul
National Intangible Cultural Heritage jade craft master Kim Young-hee / Yonhap
By Lee Kyung-min
For generations, the survival of Korea’s most revered cultural traditions relied on a fragile human chain, passed down strictly from master to apprentice in quiet workshops and hidden courtyards. Now, as the nation navigates hypermodernization and shifts toward globalized, digital mediums, the state is accelerating an ambitious archiving initiative to ensure these ancient lineages are not lost to time.
The Korea Heritage Service (KHS) on Wednesday announced the publication of three comprehensive biographical volumes detailing the lives, philosophies and methodologies of government-designated "living national treasures." The texts profile Kim Chun-sik, a master craftsman of "soban" — hand-carved wooden dining tables native to the Naju region — alongside Kim Il-ku and Jeong Sun-im, two legendary virtuosos of "pansori," Korea’s traditional operatic narrative singing.
The publications represent the latest output of a systematic multimedia preservation campaign launched in 1995. For centuries, arts like pansori — characterized by its raw, commanding vocalizations and minimalist drum accompaniment — resisted notation, surviving solely through oral transmission. Kim and Jeong, the latter a descendant of a prominent musical dynasty, both hold the lineage of the Dongpyeonje style, a school of singing defined by its austere, powerful delivery and rigid rhythmic structures.
Documenting the precise physical techniques and vocal inflections of these aging masters has become an urgent priority for cultural historians.
As Korea undergoes dramatic societal changes, fewer citizens are entering the grueling, poorly compensated apprenticeships required to sustain classical heritage. By transforming these ephemeral oral traditions into freely accessible digital assets through the agency's Intangible Heritage Knowledge portal, authorities hope to anchor the country's historical roots for future generations who may never see a master perform live.
The agency’s mandate is also widening beyond performance art.
Current field operations include extensive multiyear documentation of the "haenyeo," Jeju Island’s famed, disappearing matriarchy of elderly free-divers, and the Jeju "keungut," a complex, multiday shamanic ritual. These deep-field recordings are slated for public release by August 2027, marking the government’s latest effort to catalog the soul of a vanishing era.
"We will continue our research and recording projects to fully preserve the value of our national intangible heritage," a spokesperson for the KHS said, promising expanded digital openness to let the public freely enjoy these cultural foundations.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.