• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.180-195
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• 2024

Community beliefs of the coastal villages in Gochang are cultural activities and rituals manifesting the hopes and spiritual worlds of the locals who live off the sea and tidal mud. Along with their societal functions wishing for peace, maritime safety, and good catches, the values of the Jwajeongdam (How god came to be), Yuraedam (History of worshipping), and Yeongheomdam (Stories of miracles), as living heritage need to be reexamined according to the recent Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The community beliefs of the coastal villages in Gochang, where outstanding universal intangible and tangible values coexist, have been perpetually transmitted in interactions with tidal mud and the ecological environments of the sea. They reinforce the "Outstanding Universal Value" UNESCO mentions and sustainability that connects the past, present, and future. Furthermore, a coastal area is endowed with international accessibility over regionality. Hence the community beliefs are charged with eco-cultural values, which its preservation and promotion should also focus on to provide policies and protection activities. In short, the tidal mud and community beliefs of coastal villages in Gochang, which according to the concept of UNESCO's "mixed heritage," meet the values for natural, cultural, and intangible heritage at the same time, and so must be approached not in the scope of points or lines, but also in surfaces when arranging protection initiatives.