• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.94-115
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• 2017

'Arirang folk song in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea' was inscribed to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014 and 'Tradition of kimchi-making in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea' followed in 2015. It is presumed that North Korea was influenced by the Republic of Korea inscribing 'Arirang, lyrical folk song in the Republic of Korea' to the list in 2012 as well as 'Kimjang, making and sharing kimchi in the Republic of Korea' in 2013. These cases show the necessity (or possibility) of cultural exchanges between the two Koreas through UNESCO ICH lists. The purpose of this article is to explore the possibility of inter-Korean cultural integration. Therefore, I would like to review UNESCO's ICH policy and examine the ways of cooperation and joint nominations to the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity between the two Koreas. First, I reviewed the amendments to the laws and regulations of the two Koreas and how the two countries applied the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Although the cultural exchange is a non-political field, given the situation between South and North Korea, it is influenced by politics. Therefore, we devised a stepwise development plan, divided into four phases: infrastructure development, cooperation and promotion, diversification, and policymaking and alternative development. First a target group will be needed. In this regard, joint nominations to the Representative List of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity will be suitable for cooperation. Both countries have already started separate nominations on shared ICH elements to the UNESCO lists. Therefore, I have selected a few elements as examples that can be considered for joint nominations. The selected items are makgeolli (traditional liquor), jang (traditional soybean sauce), gayangju (homebrewed liquor), gudeul (Korean floor heating system), and jasu (traditional embroidery). Cooperation should start with sharing information on ICH elements. A pilot project for joint nomination can be implemented and then a mid-term plan can be established for future implementation. When shared ICH elements are inscribed on UNESCO ICH lists, various activities can be considered as follow-ups, such as institution visits, performances, exhibitions, and joint monitoring of the intangible cultural heritage. Mutual cooperation of the two Koreas' intangible cultural heritage will be a unique example between the divided countries, so its value will be recognized as a symbol of cultural cooperation. In addition, it will be a foundation for cultural integration of the two Koreas, and it will show the value of their unique ICH to the world. At the same time, it will become a good example for joint nominations to the Representative List recommended by UNESCO.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.4-17
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• 2019

Both as a means of improving North-South relations, as well as a necessary component for carrying out research on the past of the Korean peninsula, interest in North Korean cultural resources has been growing in South Korean society. As a result, studies have begun to look beyond North Korean cultural resources themselves and attempt to determine how cultural resources are managed in North Korea. Such studies have tended to investigate laws related to the management of cultural heritage in North Korea, but information gleaned from laws alone is limited. To provide a more complete picture, research must also investigate how cultural resource management laws are applied and enforced and also take into consideration aspects of cultural resource management that are not directed or regulated by law. In this study, we refer to the current National Cultural Resources Protection Laws in order to investigate systems of cultural resource management in North Korea. Furthermore, we conducted interviews with a former North Korean national who had until recently worked as a director of historical sites in North Korea. Through comparisons of information relating to organization, labor power, responsibilities, budget, and other factors of cultural resource management gained through the interviews and the 'National Cultural Resources Protection Laws,' we hoped to gain a fuller understanding of the reality of cultural resource management in North Korea. As a result, we were able to gain a better understanding of the organization and tasks related to cultural resource management and, at the same time, clarify some of the provisions that were unclear in the laws. Throughout the process, we were also able to determine that the management of cultural resources in North Korea is currently inadequate. However, because this study focuses on a specific region and is limited only to historical sites, it is difficult to generalize our findings to the entirety of cultural resource management in North Korea. In order to gain an objective and more accurate understanding of the current state of cultural resource management in North Korea, information must be collected at many levels to be synthesized and compared.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.4-19
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• 2019

Despite continuous volatility in ideological leanings, South Korean governments, conservative or progressive, have published a series of plans for aiding the economic development of North Korea. The Moon administration's plan is the paragon of such efforts. In addition, recent detente between the North Korean regime and the US government evokes much hope in its success. There is, hidden behind the veil of hope, apprehension about the crisis of management of cultural heritage in the North Korean region. It is believed that development policies may overwhelm efforts at conservation of cultural heritage, in particular that the hurrying of development projects would provoke insufficient and inappropriate investigation of archaeological sites., If these problems arise, responsibility for their resolution would be carried by South Korean archaeologists and governmental institutes. This paper reviews what the South Korean government has suggested for North Korea's economic recovery and examines what capability the South Korean archaeology sector has for investigating North Korean cultural heritage. It then discusses the scale of investigation needed, and what should beused as precedent in planning substantial excavations when development projects are performed in the North Korean region. Constructing a digital map system for cultural heritage of North Korea is suggested as one of the most urgent tasks precedent to substantial excavations. It is of great importance because we do not currently have any substantial information about the locations and current condition of cultural heritage sites and artifacts in the North Korean region. The mapping of Bronze Age sites in North Korea, conducted as a sort of pilot test, revealed that archaeological sites are densely distributed in several regions, especially Hwanghae-do and Pyoyang Directly-Administrated City, and that there is high potential of discovering new sites.

• 한국박물관협회:학술대회논문집
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• v.2002 no.05
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• pp.10-12
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• 2002

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.252-269
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• 2019

Since the inauguration of the Kim Jong-un regime in 2012, the safeguarding and management system of cultural heritage in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has been changing to a form similar to that of a democratic country's legal system. In addition, the National Authority for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (NAPCH) has continuously recorded and cataloged intangible cultural heritage elements in the DPRK, listing Arirang, kimchi-making, and ssireum on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative List. In particular, the multinational nomination of ssireum in October 2018 is symbolic in terms of inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation for peace and reconciliation, raising expectations for the further multinational nomination of the two Koreas' intangible cultural heritage. Currently, South Korea lists 20 items on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, three of which are shared by various countries with multinational nominations such as falconry, tug-of-war, and ssireum. However, when comparing the process of applying for multinational nomination in the three elements that follow, it is necessary to discuss whether these cases reflect the nature of multinational nomination. In particular, in the case of ssireum, without a working-level consultation between the two Koreas to prepare an application for a multinational nomination, each applied for a single registration; these applications were approved exceptionally as a multinational nomination by the Intergovernmental Committee under the leadership of the Secretary-General of UNESCO, and no bilateral exchanges have taken place until now. This is symbolic, formal, and substantially similar to the individual listings in terms of the spirit of co-listing on the premise of mutual exchange and cooperation. Therefore, the only way to strengthen the effectiveness of the multinational nomination between the two Koreas and to guarantee the spirit of multinational nomination is to request multilateral co-registration, including the two Koreas. For this, the Korean government needs a strategic approach, such as finding elements for multilateral co-listing; accumulating expertise, capabilities, and experience as a leading country in multilateral co-listing; and building cooperative governance with stakeholders. Besides, to reduce the volatility of inter-Korean cultural exchanges and cooperation depending on political situations and the special nature of inter-Korean relations, measures should be taken toward achieving inter-Korean cultural heritage exchanges and cooperation under a multilateral cooperation system using UNESCO, an international organization.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.57.1-57.1
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• 2016

전통천문학은 우리 역사에 남아 있는 대표적 과학자산이며 현대 천문학적 자료로 활용이 가능한 문화유산이다. 우리나라에는 역사시대 이전부터 조선시대까지 고대 별자리 그림을 비롯해 천문관측기록과 천문대 등 다양한 천문자산이 전해지고 있다. 오랜 시간 여러 전란과 일제 강점시기를 거치며 많은 자료가 소실되었지만 한반도의 남과북에는 여전히 많이 천문유산이 남아 있다. 천문역사를 공유하고 있는 남북한 천문학자들이 전통천문학을 함께 연구해야 하는 이유이기도 하다. 현재 남북한의 전통천문학분야 협력 방안에 대한 기획연구를 진행 중이다. 북한 천문학자들은 지난 2012년 IAU GA를 기점으로 다시 국제 학술 활동을 이어가고 있으며 2015년 IAU GA에서는 전통천문 분야를 비롯해 두 편의 연구 결과를 발표하였다. 남북한 공동 연구를 위해서는 북한의 전통천문학 연구와 국제 학술교류 현황에 대한 이해가 선행되어야 한다. 본 발표에서는 지금까지 조사한 북한의 전통천문 연구 현황과 대외 학술교류 현황에 대해 보고하고 향후 남북한 공동연구를 위한 방법과 연구 주제에 대해서 발표하고자 한다.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.20-37
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• 2019

Three Inter-Korea summits and a North Korea-USA summit that were previously unexpected provide a basis for an optimistic outlook for the future development of Korean archaeology. While Korean archaeology has witnessed a great advance since the mid-20th century, it also exhibits significant weaknesses in explaining cultural changes in prehistory and the early historical period in the Korean Peninsula due to the paucity of information on archaeological evidence of North Korea. Recent development of favorable conditions for research and excavations of North Korean cultural heritage could be a valuable opportunity for Korean archaeology to overcome the current adversity. Especially, given the expected large-scale SOC industrial project in North Korea, we need to prepare for the systematic research and excavation of archaeological materials. The present essay attempts to provide a suggestion for the joint archaeological expeditions to excavate and manage cultural resources in North Korea based on a critical review of previous salvage excavations in South Korea, such as those conducted before the construction of the Korean rapid transit railway system (KTX). We suggest that professional archaeologists should be included in the project and oversee the planning and design of road and railway constructions and other SOC projects in order to minimize the cost of trial and error processes that were well exemplified by the KTX salvage excavations. The Korean Archaeological Society and North Korean Archaeological Society may organize a common association that will supervise joint archaeological expeditions. Importantly, The Korean Archaeological Society and other related institutions should prepare to build an organization that conducts impending archaeological excavation in North Korea. While we likely face challenges and difficulties during the various stages of archaeological research and excavations in North Korea, only through thorough and systematic preparation can we avoid the destruction of valuable cultural heritage and find an opportunity for the further development of Korean archaeology.

• Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Planning & Design
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.95-106
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to analyze the "朝鮮古建築物", the list of architectural heritages in Korea during the early Japanese colonial period. The list included architectural heritage of the region of North Korea in the colonial era. A process of listing was showing the meaning of an architectural heritage for the Japanese General Government through the criteria of selecting buildings registered on the list. This study revealed the process of a survey for making list and explored the criteria of the list. The result of this effort will contribute to determining the historical background of North Korea's architectural heritage in the early days.

• Journal of architectural history
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.25-36
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to analyze the correlation between conservation activities and the development of tourism in the modern period in the Korean peninsula. The main building of Jangansa Temple, located in Mt. Geumgang, was repaired in the 1930s. During the repairs, the Japanese General-Government actively engaged in the development of Mt. Geumgang and raised funds for the operation of the Korean Peninsula through tourism revenue. The repair work was carried out under the influence of the Mt. Geumgang development project. And its influence is revealed by reviewing official documents recording repair work. This study tried to clarify the relationship between development and repair work through official documents.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.204-227
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• 2021

This paper proposed the validity and necessity of establishing the Jungwon Historical and Cultural Area by reviewing the historical characteristics of the name Jungwon and its temporal and spatial range. We also explored ways to utilize the Jungwon historical and cultural Area under the Special Act on the Maintenance of Historical and Cultural Areas. Jungwon, which means the center of the country, has strategic value as a key area connecting the Korean Peninsula to the north and south through the Geripryeong and Jukryeong. It also includes Chungju, which connects the Namhan and Bukhan Rivers . From the Mahan period, the areas of Cheongju and Jincheon, the Miho Stream basin to the west, and Chungju to the east were closely connected to each other. Afterwards, Baekje, Koguryo, and Silla engaged in a fierce battle to occupy the Jungwon area. Jungwon culture was born through the negotiation and fusion of the cultures of the three kingdoms. In particular, Silla continued to value the Jungwon area, demonstrated by the installation of Seowongyeong in Cheongju and Bukwongyeong in Wonju, centering on the Jungwongyeong. Since we have a historical view with a focus on ancient kingdoms, we have overlooked the full value of the history and culture of Jungwon. We need to recognize the importance of Jungwon area and think about how to utilize it. Therefore, we suggested in this paper that there be more public information services on the cultural heritage of Jungwon, the historical heritage experience, and the education programs for local residents. The development and operation of Jungwon's history, culture, and tourism contents, as well as the various academic research papers should be used to reveal the identity of the Jungwon historical and cultural area.