[2025 Audit] National Heritage Administrator: "Guidelines to Address Cultural Appropriation to Be Established"

168 Billion Won Cultural Product Center Planned at Gyeongbokgung Parking Lot
Administrator Huh Expresses Intention to Invite North Korea to Next Year's World Heritage Committee in Busan

Yonhap News Agency

On October 16, Huh Min, Administrator of the National Heritage Administration, stated at the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee audit, “We will establish guidelines to respond to cultural appropriation and actively address historical distortions.”

“Cultural appropriation” refers to attempts to claim a particular culture as the origin of another, or to distort and incorporate the traditional culture of another country as one’s own. Representative examples include China referring to Hanbok as “Hanfu” and Kimchi as “Pao Cai.”

Administrator Huh said, “We will produce English-language books and media content on our cultural heritage and expand promotion through overseas platforms. In addition, we will support multinational research and content production to enhance the international influence of K-Heritage.”

The National Heritage Administration also unveiled plans to create a cultural product center within Gyeongbokgung Palace. The agency plans to invest 16.8 billion won in a parking lot site to establish a center for traditional culture-related products, thereby fostering industries that utilize national heritage. In this regard, Administrator Huh requested the National Assembly to promptly pass the proposed ‘Act on the Promotion and Support of National Heritage Industries.’

He also pledged thorough preparations for the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee, which will be held in Busan in July next year. The meeting is expected to bring together delegations from 196 countries, international organizations, NGOs, and more than 3,000 academic experts.

At a recent press briefing, Administrator Huh also expressed his intention to invite North Korea. He further emphasized his commitment to resuming inter-Korean cooperation on cultural heritage. He stated, “To restart cooperative projects in the field of cultural heritage, such as the joint survey of Manwoldae in Kaesong, which has been suspended since 2018, we will consult with relevant ministries.”