Consultation Time for Protecting In-Situ Cultural Heritage to Be Shortened

Cultural Heritage Administration Announces Amendment Proposal, Allowing Delegation to Local Government Heads

The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on the 28th that it will give public notice of a revision to the "Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Protection and Investigation of Buried Cultural Heritage" to reduce inconveniences for citizens conducting development projects in areas with buried cultural heritage.

Currently, the approval and permission for development projects (by the head of local government) and the consultation for the protection of buried cultural heritage (by the head of the Cultural Heritage Administration) are handled by different authorities. This requires discussions between the two agencies, causing delays and other inconveniences in projects.

Accordingly, the Cultural Heritage Administration will overhaul the system. If the head of the Cultural Heritage Administration deems it appropriate, the consultation for the protection of buried cultural heritage will be delegated to the head of the local government. This aims to minimize inconvenience through expedited administrative procedures.

Choi Jae-mook, an officer of the Excavation System Division at the Cultural Heritage Policy Bureau, predicted, "Local governments that have conducted the information enhancement project for areas with buried cultural heritage will immediately benefit." Since last year, the Cultural Heritage Administration has been investigating areas with buried cultural heritage. Based on the accumulated information, it is considered feasible for local government heads to handle the consultations without difficulty.