Challenge to Register 'Samguk Yusa' on the Asia-Pacific Memory of the World Register

'Naebanggasa' and 'Taean Oil Spill Damage Recovery Records' Also Selected as Application Targets

'Samguk Yusa', 'Naebang Gasa', and 'Taean Oil Spill Recovery Records' are challenging to be inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register.

The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on the 5th that it has selected these three records as candidates for this year's application to the Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register. From January 10 to February 18, five candidates were submitted through a public call, and after review by the Korean Committee for the Memory of the World, the final candidates were chosen. A Cultural Heritage Administration official explained, "The application will be submitted to the Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Committee by June 15," adding, "The inscription decision will be made by the end of this year."

The Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register is a management list designated by the Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Committee under the UNESCO Memory of the World program. South Korea currently holds three inscriptions: 'Korean Pyeonaek', 'Petition of the People, Maninso', and 'Joseon Dynasty Royal Court Signboards'. The Samguk Yusa, aiming for additional inscription, is a book compiled by the monk Il-yeon in 1281 (the 7th year of King Chungnyeol of Goryeo). It is a comprehensive work covering various fields such as ancient Korean mythology, history, religion, daily life, and culture, testifying to the formation of a self-centered historical perspective in East Asia at that time.

Naebang Gasa is a record of literary works created by women in the late Joseon period, written in Hangul. It provides insight into the social perception of women at the time and the process by which Hangul developed into the official script of society. The Taean Oil Spill Recovery Records collectively refer to materials documenting the large-scale oil spill accident that occurred in December 2007 in Taean, Chungnam, and the recovery process. Approximately 200,000 records detail the collaborative efforts of the public and private sectors to overcome this environmental disaster.