Jinju-si Promotes Cultural Heritage Guardian Job Project

Targeting 22 Cultural Heritage Sites... Implemented from March to December

Starting this month, cultural heritage guardians are deployed and operating at Gaho Seowon in Yongam-ri, Ibansung-myeon, Jinju City (Gyeongnam Provincial Cultural Heritage Material No. 61).

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Jinju City, Gyeongnam Province, announced on the 1st that starting from the 3rd, 77 cultural heritage keepers will be assigned to 22 cultural heritage sites, including Namak Seowon.

The cultural heritage keeper project is being promoted as a new senior job project in cooperation with the Jinju Senior Club until December to create jobs for the elderly.

Jinju City has 190 national and Gyeongnam Province designated tangible cultural properties. Except for cultural heritage managed by specialized institutions such as the National Jinju Museum and Gyeongsang National University Museum, private and clan-owned cultural heritage sites have expressed difficulties due to lack of management personnel.

To address these issues, the city aims to provide opportunities for citizens and tourists to view cultural heritage and utilize the personnel needed for efficient cultural heritage management as a chance to create jobs for the elderly, thus achieving both cultural heritage management and job creation.

The city proposed the cultural heritage keeper project as a new project this year to the Jinju Senior Club, an elderly job project organization, and directly explained the purpose of the project to cultural heritage owners to gain their consent for opening the heritage sites and assigning management personnel.

A cultural heritage manager in Ibansang-myeon said, "We are well aware of the importance of cultural heritage, but the clan members responsible for clan affairs are elderly, and the descendants who take interest are decreasing, making cultural heritage management quite difficult. We are very grateful that Jinju City proactively promoted the cultural heritage keeper project."

Kwon Im-sook, head of the city's cultural heritage team, said, "Cultural heritage sites with assigned keepers can be viewed at any time, and the viewing hours will also be disclosed on the Jinju City website."

Meanwhile, this cultural heritage keeper job project by Jinju City is expected to provide opportunities for citizens and tourists to enjoy local cultural heritage and become a model case for cultural heritage preservation and management.