Korea Heritage Service eyes National Treasure status for 10 Joseon-era Buddhist structures

Geungnakjeon Hall at Hyeondeung Temple in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of the Korea Heritage Service

By Lee Kyung-min

• Published Apr 30, 2026 2:28 PM KST

The Korea Heritage Service moved Thursday to expand its roster of National Treasures, turning attention to a category of religious architecture long overshadowed by grander temple halls and stone pagodas.

The central government agency responsible for protecting, managing and promoting the nation’s cultural heritage announced that it will seek official treasure designation for 10 Buddhist structures dating largely from the 17th to 19th centuries, including six subsidiary worship halls and four monks’ residential quarters. The proposal begins a 30-day public review period before a final decision.

The buildings, scattered across the country from Gyeonggi Province to South Jeolla Province, offer a rare architectural record of how Korean temples functioned not only as places of devotion, but also as centers of daily life, scholarship and refuge.

Among the sites nominated is Geungnakjeon Hall at Hyeondeung Temple in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, believed to have been rebuilt in 1765 after a fire. Officials said surviving timber members and inscriptions discovered during restoration helped confirm its age and construction history.

Another candidate, Birojeon Hall at Gagyeon Temple in Goesan, North Chungcheong Province, is thought to date to 1499, making it one of the oldest buildings on the list. Heritage officials cited its elegant proportions and reused stone elements from an earlier Goryeo-era structure.

Several of the proposed treasures reflect centuries of rebuilding after war or disaster. Yeongsanjeon Hall at Seonun Temple in Gochang, North Jeolla Province, was destroyed during the Japanese invasions of the 1590s, reconstructed, burned again in 1751 and later converted from a two-story structure into the single-story form that stands today.

The residential quarters may prove equally significant. At Muryangsugak Hall in Geumsan’s Yeongcheonam Hermitage, monks once slept on heated floors beside a Buddhist shrine — a compressed design that blended worship with practical mountain life.

For decades, Korean preservation efforts have favored monumental halls, pagodas and statuary. Officials said the new designations were meant to correct that imbalance and recognize spaces where ordinary temple routines unfolded.

In doing so, the government is broadening the definition of heritage beyond not only what inspired awe, but also what sustained everyday spiritual life.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.