Kim Hongbin Mountaineering Materials Win Grand Prize at Preliminary Cultural Heritage Contest

103 Entries Submitted, Seven Selected
Excellence Awards for ‘Dokgo Tak’ Manuscript and Lee Ungno Sketchbooks

Mountaineer Hongbin Kim's Climbing Materials (Logs, Specially Manufactured Equipment, Clothing, Tools, etc.)

The climbing materials of the late mountaineer Kim Hongbin, who became the first person with a disability to conquer both the highest peaks on all seven continents and all 14 Himalayan summits, have won the Grand Prize at the Preliminary Cultural Heritage Discovery Contest.

The National Heritage Administration announced on December 11 that a total of 103 artifacts, comprising 1,916 items, were submitted for this year’s contest, and seven entries were selected as outstanding examples. The awards ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. on December 16 at the Government Complex Daejeon in Seo-gu, Daejeon.

The Grand Prize-winning entry, Mountaineer Kim Hongbin Climbing Materials, includes Kim Hongbin’s climbing logs, equipment, and clothing. His challenge and achievements, overcoming disability and setting milestones in the history of mountaineering, are fully captured in these materials.

‘Dokgo Tak’ Comic Manuscript and TV Animation Script

Four entries received the Excellence Award. These include the comic manuscript and TV animation script for ‘Dokgo Tak Pigeon Chorus’ by the late Lee Sangmu, a leading figure in Korean comics of the 1970s and 1980s, and the ‘Lee Ungno Artist’s Goon-Sang Related Artifacts’, which comprises sketchbooks and prints related to the 1980s masterpieces of the renowned modern and contemporary Korean artist, the late Lee Ungno.

Also recognized were the original manuscript for the inaugural address of the magazine ‘Deeply Rooted Tree’ handwritten by the late Han Changgi, and the ‘Buma Democratic Protest Declaration and Reporting Manuscript’, which contains the declaration written by Busan National University student Shin Jaesik and the coverage records of Masan protests by Kim Taekyong, a reporter for the Busan Ilbo, during the 1979 Buma Democratic Uprising.

The Encouragement Award went to two entries: ‘Heo Youngho Antarctic Exploration Records’, the journal kept by explorer Heo Youngho during his 1993-1994 South Pole expedition, and ‘Comprehensive Medical Equipment for Korean Nurses Dispatched to Germany’, which includes medical uniforms and stethoscopes used by nurses at local hospitals in Germany during the 1970s and 1980s.

Comprehensive Medical Equipment for Korean Nurses Dispatched to Germany

The recipients will be awarded a certificate from the head of the National Heritage Administration and a cash prize. If the owners or local governments of the seven selected entries apply, the Cultural Heritage Committee will prioritize reviewing them for preliminary cultural heritage designation.

An official from the National Heritage Administration stated, "For materials among the entries that were not selected this time but require further on-site investigation, we plan to include them in the preliminary cultural heritage review list and continue discussions with local governments and holding institutions."