National Heritage Administration Seeks Future Cultural Assets with Modern and Contemporary Historical Value

'Exploration of Preliminary Cultural Heritage' Contest Open Until August 11

The government is collecting future cultural assets that represent modern and contemporary Korean society.

'Beopjeong Monk Papillon Chair' at Songgwangsa Temple in Suncheon
[Photo by Deokjo Monk, Bulilam]

The National Heritage Administration announced on June 18 that it will hold an “Exploration of Preliminary Cultural Heritage” contest until August 11. The eligible items are movable artifacts that were produced or formed less than 50 years ago. The agency plans to broadly discover artifacts with historical and cultural value in fields such as administration and politics, industry, daily life, culture and sports, and science, and to raise public interest in their preservation. An official stated, “We plan to lay the foundation for the selection of preliminary cultural heritage by collecting artifacts of significant value from 1975 to the present.”

Anyone can participate in the contest. Applicants can choose from four categories: private-led (privately owned artifacts), local government-private cooperation (privately owned artifacts under the jurisdiction of local governments), local government-led (local government-owned artifacts), and central government-led (central government-owned artifacts). Private organizations and individuals should submit their applications to the cultural heritage department of their local government, while local governments and government ministries should submit applications to the National Heritage Administration.

'Sorokdo Marianne and Margaret bread mold (left) and powdered milk container (right)'
[Photo by Marianne and Margaret Memorial Association]

The National Heritage Administration will select outstanding cases through document review, a competition, and on-site evaluation. The selected artifacts will be given priority review by the Cultural Heritage Committee for future designation as preliminary cultural heritage. Last year, when the contest was first held, four cases were selected as outstanding examples: the “88 Seoul Olympic Hoop,” “First Everest Climb Materials,” “Beopjeong Monk Papillon Chair,” and “Sorokdo Marianne and Margaret bread mold and powdered milk container.”