Revocation of Intangible Cultural Heritage Qualification of Shin Eung-su, Master Carpenter

Fine of 7 Million Won Imposed for Embezzlement of Gwanghwamun Restoration Korean Red Pine
Lost Qualification 31 Years After Being Recognized as Holder in 1991

It has been confirmed that Shin Eung-su (80), a master carpenter (Daemokjang), has been stripped of his status as a holder of the National Intangible Cultural Property. According to the official gazette on the 24th, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced in February the revocation of Shin's recognition as a holder of the intangible cultural property based on the "Act on the Protection and Promotion of Intangible Cultural Heritage." The law stipulates that if a holder is sentenced to a fine or higher for offenses related to traditional cultural performances, exhibitions, or evaluations, or if sentenced to imprisonment or higher for other reasons and the sentence is finalized, their status will be revoked.

In March 2008, during the restoration of Gwanghwamun in Seoul, Shin embezzled four out of twenty-six high-quality pine trees supplied by the Cultural Heritage Administration. He stored them in his own lumber warehouse and was summarily prosecuted on charges including embezzlement. The pine trees he took were large-diameter (over 70 cm) Geumgang pines, which are valuable for palace restoration and other uses. They were reportedly harvested from the Beopsuchi Valley in Yangyang, Gangwon-do, which is part of the Baekdudaegan mountain range. Shin used his personally owned high-quality timber instead for the Gwanghwamun restoration project and was fined 7 million won in the first and second trials. In June of last year, the Supreme Court dismissed his appeal, finalizing the sentence, and he lost his status about 31 years after being recognized as a holder of the Important Intangible Cultural Property (now National Intangible Cultural Property) in 1991.