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| Heunginjimun Gate, Treasure No. 1 / Korea Times file |
By Park Ji-won
The criteria for selecting treasures for government-recognized status will be redefined starting from Nov. 19.
The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said it partially revised the rules on designation of treasures and national treasures under the Cultural Heritage Protection Act, which was enacted in January 1962. Currently, the law stipulates that items can be designated as treasures if they have at least one of the "historic, artistic or academic" values, but more details are being added to help quantify these criteria.
"UNESCO considers authenticity of cultural and natural heritages as well as detailed values in evaluating their addition to its World Heritage List. World Heritage inscription can be achieved with backing by the law and management policy … So far, the criteria of designating a treasure have been vague despite the international trend of detailing the criteria," the CHA said in a press release.
"We expect the revision will better inform the people of the designation and contribute to the better preservation and management of the country's heritages."
The revision adds more details in order to help evaluate the historic, artistic and academic value of an object. In terms of historic value, a treasure should still have relevance to the present day from various perspectives; have been made by a historic figure or made for the people; should relate to historic incidents; or have important cultural or historic value.
The move came as the CHA aims to step up its efforts to meet UNESCO's World Heritage criteria while helping people better understand the designation of the treasures.
In terms of artistic value, a treasure should represent universal values; Korean aesthetic values; unique values; or be excellent in its formation.
In terms of academic value, a treasure should represent an author or a style; reflect the specific style of a certain region; excel in its quality or making; provide meaningful historical information through documents; or contribute to the development of particular studies.
The treasures will be sorted into four categories ― architecture, documentation, arts and science, simplified from six previously.
Meanwhile, the CHA did not revise the part of the law regarding national treasures, as it already included some detailed criteria for their inscription.
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