"T'alchum, Originating from China?" Seokyeongdeok Calls Chinese Media's Claim "Baseless... Crossing the Line"

Talchum Listed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
Some Chinese Media Call Korea a "Culture Plagiarism Country"

On the morning of the 4th, a Yangju Byeolsandae Nori performance was held at the outdoor yard of Namsan Gugakdang in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] Amid the recent inscription of Korea's Talchum on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list, Professor Seokyung Deok of Sungshin Women's University criticized some Chinese media's claim that Talchum originated in China, saying it "crossed the line."

On the 13th, Professor Seokyung stated on his social media service (SNS), "I was horrified after receiving a tip from a netizen," adding, "because recently some Chinese media have claimed that the origin of Korean Talchum is 'China.'"

Earlier, China's Wangyi (網易) website published articles titled "Korea's Talchum successfully applied for world heritage status, rapidly rising to third place among intangible cultural heritages imitating Chinese culture" and "Korea is a country of cultural plagiarism." Additionally, some outlets such as Tencent News (騰迅新聞) released articles with headlines like "God of fabrication, Korea's Talchum inscribed on Intangible Cultural Heritage" and "In fact, Talchum originated in China."

Talchum was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list at the Intangible Heritage Committee meeting held in Rabat, Morocco, on the 30th of last month (local time). It is the 22nd Korean cultural heritage to be inscribed, and its official name is "Talchum, Mask Dance Drama in the Republic of Korea."

He pointed out, "It seems that China feels threatened as Korean culture gains global recognition and attention," calling it "a distorted expression of Sinocentrism born from this sense of crisis."

He added, "Instead of merely being angry about China's 'cultural engineering,' we should wisely turn it to our advantage and use it as a good opportunity to spread our culture more widely around the world."

Furthermore, Professor Seokyung said, "Soon, I will produce a multilingual video about 'Korea's Talchum' to clearly inform people worldwide."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.