Abstract
This study was conducted to analyze the status of the traditional medicines registered by the Chinese state as intangible cultural heritages, and of Chinese acupuncture and moxibustion registered by UNESCO as world intangible cultural heritages in 2010, in connection with the need to have Traditional Korean Medicine skills similarly registered as world intangible cultural heritage items. Since UNESCO's adoption of the Convention on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritages in 2003, the Chinese government has pushed ahead with efforts to explore and protect intangible cultural heritage items and have them registered as world intangible cultural heritages. Thus, Benchaogangmu (本草綱目) and Huangdineijing (黃帝內經) were listed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register while Chinese acupuncture and moxibustion were registered as world intangible cultural heritage properties. For Traditional Korean Medicine skills to be listed as world intangible cultural heritage properties, steps should be taken first to include the skills in the list of domestic intangible cultural heritage items and to make further explorations in the sector. Such efforts are also important in terms of the need to establish the legitimacy of Traditional Korean Medicines.
