Korean Studies Advancement Center Surpasses 600,000 Donated Korean Studies Materials

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] The Academy of Korean Studies has surpassed 600,000 pieces of Korean studies materials entrusted and managed from the private sector.

The Academy of Korean Studies announced on the 18th that the descendants of independence activist Jo Byeong-guk (1883?1954) recently entrusted about 11,000 materials containing records of the independence movement and the era of Japanese colonial rule. With this, the total entrusted materials have exceeded 600,000 pieces. This marks 20 years since the introduction of the entrusted management system in 2002. The entrusted management system allows individuals or clans to retain ownership of Korean studies materials they possess while delegating only the management and utilization rights. Currently, materials such as Confucian woodblocks (2015) and records of the National Debt Repayment Movement (2017), both registered as UNESCO Memory of the World, are managed under this system.

Jung Jong-seop, President of the Academy of Korean Studies, said, "Thanks to the descendants of independence activists entrusting many materials, we have achieved the monumental milestone of collecting 600,000 Korean studies materials," and added, "We will do our best to preserve the value of these precious materials."