Korea Shares Artifact Preservation Technology in Uzbekistan

National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and ICCROM Operate 'CollAsia'
Training on 3D Scanning and Conservation Environment Monitoring

Lim Jongdeok, Director of the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, giving a greeting at the opening ceremony of Cool Asia (right)

The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage will provide artifact preservation technology training to about thirty experts from the Asia-Pacific region in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The institute will conduct a three-week program covering advanced technologies such as 3D scanning and conservation environment monitoring.

The institute announced on the 28th that, together with the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), a UNESCO-affiliated organization, it will operate 'CollAsia' at the Tashkent Museum of Arts until November 14.

CollAsia, an abbreviation for 'Conservation and Use of Southeast Asian Collections,' is an international training program where emerging experts from the Asia-Pacific region learn new technologies. Since 2014, the institute has dispatched instructors, and since 2023, it has jointly operated the program with ICCROM.

This year's program, themed 'Observation, Documentation, and Diagnosis of Collections,' has brought together about thirty participants from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and other countries. The curriculum includes both advanced technology education-such as artifact principles, photographic documentation, and 3D scanning-and hands-on field training.

Uzbekistan has been collaborating with Korea since 2022 on projects such as archaeological excavation and maintenance, as well as building digital heritage records, in partnership with the State Committee for Cultural Heritage. Lim Jongdeok, Director of the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, stated, "Through Korea's K-Heritage technology, we aim to enhance Asia's capabilities," adding, "We will continue to expand our positive influence through ongoing international cooperation."