"Hanji to Be Korea's 24th, Taekwondo North Korea's 6th"... UNESCO Inscription Imminent

UNESCO Evaluation Body Recommends Inscription for Heritage Nominated by Both Koreas
Taekwondo, Nominated by North Korea Two Years Earlier, Likely to Be Inscribed Separately
Joint Inter-Korean Inscription Effectively Falls Through... Final Decision D

Hanji, Korea’s traditional paper, and taekwondo, nominated by North Korea, have both been recommended for inscription on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Hanji is now likely to become Korea’s 24th item on the list, while taekwondo, Korea’s national martial art, is expected to be inscribed first under North Korea’s name. The plan to have taekwondo inscribed jointly by the two Koreas, following ssireum in 2018, has effectively fallen through.

Lee Sangok, a Gyeongsangnam-do Intangible Heritage Hanji artisan, dips his feet into water mixed with paper mulberry fibers and forms a sheet of paper at a traditional Hanji workshop in Macheon-myeon, Hamyang-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do. The artisan has practiced “heullim tteugi,” a traditional Hanji-making technique, for more than 60 years and produces Hanji using the single-frame (eumyangji) method. National Heritage Administration

According to UNESCO on November 5, the Evaluation Body under the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage recommended inscription for both “Traditional Knowledge and Skills and Cultural Practices for Hanji Papermaking,” nominated by Korea, and “Traditional Martial Arts of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea - Taekwondo,” nominated by North Korea.

The Evaluation Body reviewed 59 nominations for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity this year and recommended all of them for inscription. It is rare for the body’s recommendations to be overturned during the final review, making inscription likely for both elements.

Hanji is a traditional Korean paper made mainly from the bark of paper mulberry trees. The process involves harvesting and boiling the trees to extract their fibers, forming sheets of paper and drying them, and incorporates artisans’ skills and collaboration among communities. The UNESCO Evaluation Body noted that hanji is used for a variety of purposes, including recording, printing, crafts and household goods, and plays an important role in communities’ daily lives and cultural practices.

If inscription of hanji is confirmed, the number of Korea’s intangible cultural heritage elements on the list will rise to 24, following the inscription of “Culture of Jang-Making in Korea” in 2024. Korea currently has 23 elements on the list, including pansori, Arirang, Jeju haenyeo culture and talchum.

By contrast, the two Koreas have seen contrasting outcomes for taekwondo, as North Korea submitted its nomination first. North Korea applied for inscription in its name alone in March 2024, and Korea submitted its nomination two years later, in March this year. The government sought to pursue a joint inscription by the two Koreas, but talks did not take place amid strained inter-Korean relations and other factors.

North Korean taekwondo athletes perform a demonstration of breaking objects with aerial kicks before an audience. “Traditional Martial Arts of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea - Taekwondo,” nominated by North Korea, has been recommended for inscription on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and is awaiting final approval. Yonhap-Korean Central News Agency

If North Korea’s taekwondo inscription is confirmed, it will become the country’s sixth intangible cultural heritage element on the list, following Arirang (2014), kimchi-making (2015), ssireum (2018), Pyongyang naengmyeon (2022) and the custom of wearing Joseon clothing (2024). Of these, ssireum was jointly inscribed by the two Koreas in 2018.

Even if taekwondo is first inscribed under North Korea’s name, this will not give North Korea exclusive rights to it. UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage system does not determine ownership of cultural heritage or a country’s status as its origin; rather, it is designed to safeguard communities’ cultural practices and their transmission. In fact, the two Koreas inscribed Arirang and kimchi-related cultural practices separately, at different times.

Additional procedures and time will be needed before taekwondo can be inscribed under Korea’s name. Pursuing an extension of the inscription to include Korea after North Korea’s inscription would require consultations with North Korea, while a separate inscription would also have to go through UNESCO’s review process.

The final decision on inscription will be made at the 21st session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which will be held in Xiamen, China, from November 30 to December 5. Under the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, adopted in 2003, UNESCO operates a system for inscribing elements on the Representative List to safeguard and transmit intangible cultural heritage in countries around the world.

Korea is classified alongside countries such as China and France as having numerous elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and undergoes a review for one nomination every two years. As a result, pursuing a separate inscription for taekwondo is expected to take considerable time.

The next element Korea plans to seek inscription for is “Ginseng Culture: Knowledge, Skills and Sociocultural Practices,” which is scheduled for review in 2028. It encompasses a range of traditions related to ginseng, including not only its cultivation and processing techniques but also associated rituals and everyday culture.

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