The Cultural Heritage Administration () or CHA, formerly the Cultural Properties Administration, is the agency of the

South Korean government The Government of South Korea is the union government of the Republic of Korea, created by the Constitution of South Korea as the executive, legislative and judicial authority of the republic. The president acts as the head of state and is the ...

charged with preserving and promoting Korean cultural heritage. It is headquartered in the city of

Daejeon Daejeon () is South Korea's fifth-largest metropolis, with a population of 1.5 million as of 2019. Located in the central-west region of South Korea alongside forested hills and the Geum River, the city is known both for its technology an ...

at the

Daejeon Government Complex The Government Complex Daejeon ( ko, 정부대전청사), which is located in Dunsan-dong, Seo-gu at the city of Daejeon, is a set of four buildings holding several government agencies of South Korea. The area of the Government Complex, Daejeon ...

. Previously part of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, it was elevated to a sub-ministerial agency in 1999.

History

The Cultural Properties Administration was formally established in October 1961, but descends from the Former Royal Properties Administration to the Office created in November 1945 at the beginning of American military rule to replace the Office of the Yi Dynasty. The 1962 Cultural Property Protection Law was modelled on the Japanese 1950 Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties.

Administration

In accordance with Article 2 of the 1962 Cultural Property Protection Law, cultural heritage is classified in four main categories: Tangible Cultural Heritage (including

National Treasures National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

); Intangible Cultural Heritage (including

Important Intangible Cultural Heritage Importance is a property of entities that matter or make a difference. For example, World War II was an important event and Albert Einstein was an important person because of how they affected the world. There are disagreements in the academic ...

); Monuments (including Historic Sites, Scenic Sites, and Natural Monuments); and Folklore Cultural Heritage (including both tangible and intangible assets). In 2010 the CHA was involved with the

Gwanghwamun Gwanghwamun () is the main and largest gate of Gyeongbokgung, Gyeongbok Palace, in Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It is located at a three-way intersection at the northern end of Sejongno. As a landmark and symbol of History of Seoul, Seoul's long ...

restoration project, where a new name plate on the restored Gate was unveiled on the same day. However, cracks in the wooden plate were showing by early November, where a long vertical crack is visible on the left side of Hanja character "Gwang" and beneath "Hwa" in the middle. The Administration cited the dry autumn weather for the contraction of the wood, but experts differs on that an immature pine board was used to meet the deadline for completion and that the wood had not dried properly. After many debates, a repair to the cracks was made, and the Government commissioned a new name plate. 13 wooden boards for the new signboard were cut in September 2011 and have since undergone a natural drying process in Gangwon Province. However, in a survey of 5,000 people conducted by the Administration, 58.7 percent responded that the inscription should be in

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The ...

while 41.3 percent opted

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...

but the long-lost 1395 original was in

. A majority of experts consulted thought the sign should be carved as the original had been. In December 2012, following the folk song "

Arirang "Arirang" (; ) is a Korean folk song. There are about 3,600 variations of 60 different versions of the song, all of which include a refrain similar to "''Arirang, arirang, arariyo'' ()". It is estimated the song is more than 600 years old. ...

" being inscribed on the

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergove ...

programme by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...

, the Administration announced a five-year plan to promote and preserve the song. The plan is aim to support "Arirang" festivals by regional organizations, as well as building an archive for the song, exhibitions, fund research; of which it has allocated .

References

External links

Official website

Cultural Heritage Administration

Korean National Heritage Online
{{authority control Daejeon Government agencies of South Korea

History

Administration

See also

References

External links