National Treasure () is a national-level designation within the
heritage preservation system of South Korea for tangible objects of significant artistic, cultural and historical value. Examples of objects include art, artifacts, sites, or buildings.
It is administered by the
Korea Heritage Service
The Korea Heritage Service (), formerly the Cultural Heritage Administration and Cultural Properties Administration, is the agency of the South Korean government charged with preserving and promoting Korean cultural heritage. It is headquartere ...
(KHS). Additions to the list are decided by the Cultural Heritage Committee.
Many of the registered items are popular
tourist attractions for South Korea. Examples include
Jongmyo
Jongmyo () is a Confucian royal ancestral shrine in the Jongno District of Seoul, South Korea. It was originally built during the Joseon period (1392–1897) for memorial services for deceased kings and queens. According to UNESCO, the shrine i ...
,
Bulguksa
Bulguksa () is a Buddhist temple on Tohamsan, in Jinhyeon-dong, Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.
It is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and contains six National Treasures, including the Dabotap and Seokgata ...
,
Seokguram
Seokguram () is a hermitage and part of the Bulguksa temple complex in Gyeongju, South Korea. It and Bulguksa are both on the mountain Tohamsan, although the two are separated by distance of around . The grotto overlooks the East Sea and rests ...
, and the
Tripitaka Koreana
The is a Korean collection of the ( Buddhist scriptures), carved onto 81,258 wooden printing blocks in the 13th century. They are currently located at the Buddhist temple Haeinsa, in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is the oldest ...
at
Haeinsa
Haeinsa () is a Buddhist temple in Gayasan National Park, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is the head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Seon Buddhism. Haeinsa is most notable for being the home of the ''Tripitaka Koreana,'' the who ...
. As of May 2020, there are 327 distinct entries on the list, some composed of a large number of sub-entries. The treasures are numbered according to the order in which they were designated, not according to their individual value.
History
The first list of Korean cultural treasures was designated by
Governor-General of Korea
Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
in 1938 during the
Japanese occupation with "The Act of Treasures of the Joseon dynasty".
In 1955, the
South Korean government
The government of South Korea () is the national 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 ...
declared as National Treasures the items previously on the Korean Treasures Preservation Order issued during Japan's occupation of Korea. The current list dates to December 20, 1962, when the Cultural Protection Act was enacted by the
Supreme Council for National Reconstruction
The Supreme Council for National Reconstruction () was the ruling military junta of South Korea from May 1961 to December 1963.
The Supreme Council overthrew the Second Republic of Korea in the May 16 coup in May 1961 and established a provi ...
. There were 116 items on the "National Treasures" list at that time, with others designated as "Treasures".
List
See also
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Historic Sites of South Korea
Historic Sites () is a national-level designation within the heritage preservation system of South Korea for places of important historical value. It is managed by the Administrator of the Cultural Heritage Administration, under article 25 of .
...
*
National Treasure (North Korea)
A National Treasure () is a tangible artifact, site, or building deemed by the Government of North Korea to have significant historical or artistic value to the country.
History
The first list of Korean cultural treasures was designated by Gover ...
*
Culture of Korea
The traditional culture of Korea is the shared cultural and historical heritage of Korea before the division of Korea in 1945.
Since the mid-20th century, Korea has been split between the North Korean and South Korean sovereign state, stat ...
*
History of Korea
The Lower Paleolithic era on the Korean Peninsula and in Manchuria began roughly half a million years ago.
Christopher J. Norton, "The Current State of Korean Paleoanthropology", (2000), ''Journal of Human Evolution'', 38: 803–825.
The earl ...
References
Sources
*National Museum of Korea, The (1985). ''Selected Treasures of National Museums of Korea''. Seoul: Samhwa Publishing.
*
*
External links
Heritage Classification– Korea Heritage Service
Korean National Heritage Online(archived)
{{Heritage preservation in South Korea
Archaeology of Korea
Heritage registers in South Korea