Korea seeks more UNESCO registration of cultural assets

A performance of nongak / Korea Times file

By Baek Byung-yeul

The nation's top agency for managing cultural heritages unveiled Wednesday a roadmap to register more vintage items on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Kim Jong-jin, deputy administrator of the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), announced the plan Wednesday, as expectations are mounting for nongak or countryside folk music to be included in the UNESCO list in the next few days.

"At the UNESCO's headquarters in Paris, officials are discussing whether nongak will be listed or not," Kim said at a press conference in Seoul.

If nongak is confirmed to be listed, it will be the country's 17th cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO after "Kimjang," a traditional Korean collective practice of making "kimchi" or the staple Korean side-dish of fermented cabbage and "Arirang" or traditional Korean folk song in 2012.

"If included, we plan to have a celebrating ceremony on Saturday bringing 11 nongak bands to perform at three venues in downtown Seoul including Gwanghwamun and Insa-dong district. After performing separately, they will rally around at the Gyeongbok Palace, and will perform all together once again," Kim said.

Kim added that "It also seems certain that North Korean version of Arirang will also be included in the list as well."

The deputy administrator said the UNESCO will judge whether the traditional tug-of-war game is eligible for the Intangible Cultural Heritage next year.

The CHA submitted multinational applications about the game to the UNESCO last April in the joint name with three other countries such as Vietnam, Philippines and Cambodia. "We completed registration work for the tug-of-war game together with three countries considering UNESCO's recommendation to submit in collaboration with other countries to prevent cut-throat competition and to strengthen mutual cultural cooperation between countries," Kim said.

"Haenyeo" or free-diving women in Jeju Island, which sought for UNESCO cultural heritage status, will be decided in 2016.

In order to obtain more UNESCO World Heritage Site authentication, Kim said UNESCO finished on-site survey of historic sites of ancient Baekje Kingdom (18 B.C. - 660 A.D.) in Buyeo and Gongju area in South Chungcheong Province last September, and will decide its status as a world heritage next June.

"Besides Baekje historic sites, nine traditional Confucian schools and the Fortress Wall of Seoul are awaiting the UNESCO's review to be included in the World Heritage Site as well," Kim said.

Korea has been registered 16 Intangible Cultural Heritages, 11 World Heritage Sites and 11 Memory of the World Register into UNESCO's heritage list.

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