Cultural Heritage Administrator seeks balance between conservation and development

Cultural Heritage Administrator Kim Jong-jin / Courtesy of Lee Soo-jin

By Kwon Mee-yoo

New Cultural Heritage Administrator Kim Jong-jin is an old hand in the field. He is someone who knows how to strike the balance between the conservation and utilization of cultural heritage.

Kim took the post in August when the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) had piles of controversial issues such as the approval of the Seoraksan Mountain cable car connecting Osaek to Kkeutcheong Peak and preservation of the Bangudae Petroglyphs.

Kim is known as a self-made man who entered civil service with a high school diploma. He joined the formerly Cultural Heritage Bureau in 1981 and carried out a variety of tasks on cultural heritage for some three decades. He also served as president of the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation from 2013 to 2014 before making a return to his home ground CHA.

Kim majored in economics at the Korea National Open University and is currently pursuing a master's degree in cultural heritage conservation at the Graduate School of Cultural Heritage, Kongju University.

Though he spent almost all his career around cultural assets, the administrator position is special for him.

"I will do my best to promote the value of cultural heritage and let it enrich the national brand of Korea," Kim said at an interview with The Korea Times. "There are various areas and positions related to cultural heritage and the key is to gain sympathy among the people concerned. Heretofore, I was one of the parties concerned, but now I have to listen to those all interested in the issue and draw cooperation among them."

The Cultural Heritage Administration offers various programs at cultural properties including ancient palaces to take a step closer to the public. / Courtesy of CHA

Kim emphasized that utilization of cultural properties should be on the premise of conservation.

"There are various perspectives on life and as our society diversifies, we encounter more differences in views and ideas. In case of cultural properties, its historical and cultural values clash with economic and commercial values increasingly," administrator said.

"It's not that we only pursue usage of cultural assets. Preservation should be the priority since it cannot be restored exactly the same once damaged and development is inextricable from conservation."

He gave the example of the ongoing controversy over the installation of an aerial cableway in the Seoraksan Mountain in Gangwon Province.

"The Cultural Heritage Committee endorsed the value of preservation, but we cannot turn away from the county wanting to make good use of the cultural assets they have," Kim said. "It's important to obtain opinions from each side and go through enough deliberation."

Promoting the uniqueness and beauty of Korean cultural properties is CHA's major goal and thus one of the biggest tasks is to submit Korean cultural assets to UNESCO lists including the World Heritage list, Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list and Memory of the World.

Earlier this week, three Korean documents ― "eobo" (Korean royal seals) and investiture books from Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910); the archives of the National Debt Redemption movement (1907-10); and "Documents on Joseon Tongsinsa," which documents Korean envoys to Japan during Joseon era ― made their way into the Memory of the World list.

"Cultural heritage occupies an important position in the national brand of Korea. The CHA will continue to exchange with other countries and international organizations such as UNESCO to become more influential," Kim said.

Next in line are seven mountain Buddhist temples, including Beopju Temple, Tongdo Temple and Buseok Temple, for their representation of Korean Buddhism combined with indigenous beliefs such as "pungsu" geomancy theory as well as traditional architecture style.

The culture of Jeju haenyeo (women divers) was inscribed in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2016. Submitting Korean cultural properties for the UNESCO list registration is one of the Cultural Heritage Administration's tasks. / Courtesy of CHA

Kim's scope of activities has been widened since he has to visit many cultural properties across the nation as the cultural heritage administrator.

"There are many great cultural assets outside the Seoul area as well. When I visited night tour programs involving cultural heritage, which are encouraged and promoted by the CHA, it was good to see locals come out, enjoy our tradition and create community. That's what our aim should be," the administrator said.

"There are ancient palaces in Seoul, but many great old houses with rich history are located throughout the country. Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province is known for its relics from Shilla Kingdom (57 B.C. - A.D. 935), while Taean, South Chungcheong Province has beautiful costal sand dunes. Each region has unique gems and we plan to publish a cultural heritage map next year, integrating all information."

Throughout the interview, Kim put stress on sympathy and cooperation.

"I have met a wide variety of people from cultural property restorers to volunteers who monitor and clean up assets. They all come from different backgrounds, but we all have the same goal ― protecting the precious cultural properties. So I think we can cooperate for the common goal with sympathy," Kim said. "I was especially impressed by the supporters because they volunteer because they like cultural heritage and know the importance of it. I feel sorry and grateful at the same time for their effort outside the system."