Latest news with #ChoiEung-chon
Korea Herald
24-05-2025
- Korea Herald
S. Korea to donate W5b to support UNESCO's intangible heritage efforts
South Korea will donate 5 billion won ($3.65 million) to support UNESCO's efforts to preserve and promote intangible cultural heritage around the world, the country's heritage agency said Saturday. The Korea Heritage Service said it signed a framework arrangement with UNESCO in Paris on Friday to contribute to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund under the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Under the agreement, the agency will contribute 1 billion won annually over the next five years to support UNESCO's project to create an online platform to share the best practices for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. It marks the first time South Korea has established a separate fund for a UNESCO project related to intangible heritage. South Korea currently has 23 items on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, ranking fourth among the 184 states that are party to the convention. China tops the list with 39, followed by Turkey with 28 and France with 26. During his trip to Paris, Korea Heritage Service Commissioner Choi Eung-chon met with Ernesto Ottone Ramirez, UNESCO's assistant director-general for culture, and emphasized the importance of South Korea hosting the 2026 plenary session of the World Heritage Committee. The venue for the meeting is expected to be determined in July. South Korea has never hosted the session since the committee was first established in Paris in 1977. South Korea is also seeking to become a member of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage for the 2026–2030 term, according to the agency. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
08-05-2025
- General
- Korea Herald
Restoring cultural heritage destroyed by wildfires to cost 48.8b won
State, city and provincial government to support restoration of 36 government-designated treasures, cultural heritage sites The restoration of government-designated cultural heritage sites damaged by the wildfires that ravaged across southeastern South Korea in March is expected to cost about 48.8 billion won ($34.9 million), the Korea Heritage Service said Thursday. A joint investigation conducted by the agency and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety confirmed 36 instances of damage to cultural assets. Among these, 13 items and structures were state-designated national treasures, heritage sites or state-recognized cultural properties. The remaining cases involved heritage designated by municipal and provincial governments. This included near-complete destruction of the 7th-century Buddhist temple Gounsa in Uiseong-gun, the epicenter of the Uiseong-Andong fires. which was by far the biggest wildfire in South Korea's recorded history. Nine of the temple's 30 buildings were destroyed, along with national treasures Gaun-ru, a pavillion, and Yeonsu-jeon, a hall, while another treasure Stone Seated Buddha statue sustained damage. The fires also destroyed several centuries-old buildings, such as the Sanam House in Cheongsong-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, thought to have been built in late 18th century. The state heritage agency said the restoration will be conducted in phases, beginning with urgent tasks such as securing structural components of the destroyed buildings, preserving partially damaged structures, and mapping out detailed restoration plans within this year. The prioritization of work will be based on the severity of the damage inflicted, and the extent to which the value of each item or structure has been compromised. The budgets of both the central and regional governments will be used for the restoration, along with state lottery funds and donations. This includes 1 billion won donated by K-pop agency Hybe to the KHS-affiliated agency last month. "Administrative and financial supports will be made so that the state heritage damaged by the fire can be restored to its original value," KHS chief Choi Eung-chon said. The string of wildfires tore across the Gyeongsang provinces in the span of two weeks since mid-March, burning over 100,000 hectares of land while killing 33 and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands living in the area. They inflicted more casualties and larger property damage than any other wildfire in the country's history.
Korea Herald
06-02-2025
- Science
- Korea Herald
Key Silla palace site located after decadelong probe
A decadelong investigation by Korea Heritage Service has pinpointed a key Silla Kingdom (57 BC-935 AD) palace site, the heritage agency said Thursday, revealing the latest findings on the ancient kingdom. According to the new findings, Donggung, the palace home to the Silla crown prince, sat east of the pond called Wolji, not west as previously thought. The conclusion is supported by ample evidence gathered on-site in Gyeongju, the city in North Gyeongsang Province that served as Silla's capital. 'The ground on the west side of the pond is slightly more elevated than the east side and remnants of structures on the west side stand a little taller. This all means the king occupied the west space, while his son (occupied) the east space,' KHS chief Choi Eung-chon said at a press conference Thursday. The two separate spaces, Choi added, were disconnected and the east side had an independent pond. Drainage systems for the two spaces were different as well, according to officials from the Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, the KHS-run think tank that led the verification processes. 'Drainage systems show not only the Silla lifestyle in general but the level of engineering skills at the time. That all helps us now to better understand the ancient kingdom that is central to Korean history,' a think tank official said. Meanwhile, Choi also discussed artifacts excavated at Wolseong, the Silla capital fortress protecting the royal palace. The items include a fossil of a dog, a crystal necklace in a wooden lacquered container, a sword and fossils of shark teeth. Another fossil of a dog was found in October last year. At the time, the agency had determined that the dog was part of a human sacrifice ritual for building the fortress, as human remains -- bones of men and women believed to be in their 50s -- were also found at the site. The KHS said the dog fossils were found fairly close to each other, and laid symmetrically. All the artifacts unearthed appeared burnt and most of them are believed to date from the third century. The crystal necklace found in the wooden container is in fair condition, according to Choi, who said it would help the agency better identify the kind of ceremonies that took place during the early years of the kingdom up to the fourth century. The fact the wooden container was lacquered suggested a luxurious sacrifice, given the rarity of lacquer at the time, he said.
