Cultural Heritage Administration Selects 15 Outstanding National Intangible Cultural Heritage Practitioners

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] The National Intangible Heritage Center of the Cultural Heritage Administration has selected fifteen 'Outstanding Disciples' of the 2022 National Intangible Cultural Heritage and will support their transmission activities in collaboration with the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation.

This year's outstanding disciples were selected through a review of transmission activity plans, following recommendations from holders (holder organizations) of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage since last December. Fifteen disciples were chosen from fourteen categories of National Intangible Cultural Heritage, including Seodo Sori, Jwasuyeong Eobangnori, Seokjang, and Hahoe Byeolsingut. They will carry out transmission activities on various themes such as 'production of English version transmission education materials,' 'research on elementary education programs,' development of educational materials and teaching aids by category, collection of verification data, and research on modernization techniques of traditional skills.

Started in 2019 and now in its fourth round, the 'Outstanding Disciples Selection and Capacity Building Project' is a program that selects disciples who are the next generation leaders in intangible cultural heritage transmission, with excellent activity records and transmission plans for each category, and provides customized support. Once selected as an outstanding disciple, they receive a fixed amount of support for one year and individual consultation from experts in the respective category to enhance the completeness of their transmission activity outcomes. Notable examples so far include ▲ research on Gayageum Byeongchang sheet music (Gayageum Sanjo and Byeongchang disciple Choi Hyunmi) ▲ publication of a research collection on daily royal court meals seen through the Hangul version of 'Dyeongni Uigwe' (Joseon Dynasty Royal Court Cuisine disciple Lee Soyoung).

The selection of outstanding disciples is carried out sequentially with 15 to 20 cases annually to provide equal opportunities across all categories of National Intangible Cultural Heritage. For more detailed information on the selection method and support contents, please refer to the websites of the National Intangible Heritage Center and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation or contact them by phone.

The transmission activity outcomes of the outstanding disciples will be disclosed through the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation website. Plans will be made to explore various ways to utilize the transmission activity outcomes of outstanding disciples to establish a future foundation for the transmission environment.