'Historical Significance Is Important, But...' Is There a Shift in Awareness of Intangible Heritage?

Cultural Heritage Administration Promotes Introduction of 'Modern and Contemporary Intangible Heritage System'
'King Jeongjo's Royal Procession' and 'Dangjin Hapdeok Catholic Pilgrimage' Selected
Research on Grounds and Procedures for Preservation and Utilization within Institutional Framework

The Cultural Heritage Administration plans to introduce the 'Modern and Contemporary Intangible Heritage System' this year to systematically preserve and utilize intangible heritage formed in the modern and contemporary periods. Modern and contemporary intangible heritage refers to intangible heritage that reflects modern and contemporary values and styles or has undergone a groundbreaking transformation and has been established for more than 50 years. Due to the current intangible heritage system's emphasis on historicity, its value has not been fully recognized. This means it fails to keep up with the global trend of increasing awareness of intangible heritage where tradition and modernity coexist.

In response to the demand for systematic management, the Cultural Heritage Administration is promoting the 'Discovery and Cultivation of Future Intangible Heritage.' This project researches and transmits valuable non-designated modern and contemporary intangible heritage. For example, the 'King Jeongjo's Royal Procession,' a festival reenacting the royal procession to Yongneung Tomb from the late 18th century, and the 'Dangjin Hapdeok Catholic Yeondo,' a Catholic funeral rite of believers, are selected and nurtured as future intangible heritage. In 2020, a 'Research Project to Establish a Foundation for the Protection of Modern and Contemporary Intangible Heritage' was conducted to define the concept of modern and contemporary intangible heritage and to prepare related institutional improvement plans and a basic inventory.

This year, research will be conducted on detailed matters such as the support basis, targets, and procedures for preserving and utilizing modern and contemporary intangible heritage within the institutional framework. Intangible heritage newly created reflecting modern and contemporary values and styles, such as Changgeuk and Samulnori, will be investigated, and various expert opinions will be collected to present a new vision for modern and contemporary intangible heritage. A Cultural Heritage Administration official stated, "We will establish the value and status of modern and contemporary intangible heritage, which serves as a bridge between the past and the future, to guide proper enjoyment."