By Kwon Mee-yoo
Korea has been selected as the site for the new International Centre for Documentary Heritage (ICDH), an institute under UNESCO, the National Archives of Korea announced Tuesday.
The center will be built in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, and take charge of the preservation and follow-up management for UNESCO's documentary heritage.
Cheongju and the National Archives of Korea submitted a proposal to UNESCO and it was approved unilaterally at UNESCO's 39th general meeting in Paris, Monday.
The center will preserve documents for the Memory of the World Register, develop policies regarding documentary heritage, educate people on the conservation of documentary heritage for developing countries, and promote and support the program.
UNESCO established the Memory of the World Register in 1992 to safeguard the documentary heritage of humankind. It lists about 350 documentary heritage items from 110 countries. Among them, Korea has 16 documents registered, including the "Hunminjeongeum," which described the hangeul writing system; the Buddhist document "Jikji Simche Yojeol"; and most recently "eobo" (Korean royal seals) and investiture books from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910); the archives of the National Debt Redemption movement (1907-10); and "Documents on Joseon Tongsinsa" which lists Joseon envoys to Japan.
Korea has been actively involved in the Memory of the World program, endowing the Jikji Prize for preservation of documentary heritage since 2004.
Cheongju is where "Jikji," the world's oldest extant book printed with movable metal type, was published in 1377. Its historical significance might have contributed to UNESCO's selection of the city.
The center is slated to open in 2019 and there will be about 20 staffers, including civil servants specializing in documentation and other experts. The National Archives of Korea will work with Cheongju for its upcoming construction.
As the ICDH is to be established here, the government expects Korea to be more influential in UNESCO's documentary heritage and the Memory of the World.
The ICDH is a category 2 center under the auspices of UNESCO, but is not funded by the organization as the member country where the center is located pays for it.
Korea has four other category 2 centers — the Asia-Pacific Centre Of Education For International Understanding, the International Information & Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region, the International Centre of Martial Arts for Youth Development and Engagement, and the International Centre for Water Security and Sustainable Management.
Korea has been selected as the site for the new International Centre for Documentary Heritage (ICDH), an institute under UNESCO, the National Archives of Korea announced Tuesday.
The center will be built in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, and take charge of the preservation and follow-up management for UNESCO's documentary heritage.
Cheongju and the National Archives of Korea submitted a proposal to UNESCO and it was approved unilaterally at UNESCO's 39th general meeting in Paris, Monday.
The center will preserve documents for the Memory of the World Register, develop policies regarding documentary heritage, educate people on the conservation of documentary heritage for developing countries, and promote and support the program.
UNESCO established the Memory of the World Register in 1992 to safeguard the documentary heritage of humankind. It lists about 350 documentary heritage items from 110 countries. Among them, Korea has 16 documents registered, including the "Hunminjeongeum," which described the hangeul writing system; the Buddhist document "Jikji Simche Yojeol"; and most recently "eobo" (Korean royal seals) and investiture books from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910); the archives of the National Debt Redemption movement (1907-10); and "Documents on Joseon Tongsinsa" which lists Joseon envoys to Japan.
Korea has been actively involved in the Memory of the World program, endowing the Jikji Prize for preservation of documentary heritage since 2004.
Cheongju is where "Jikji," the world's oldest extant book printed with movable metal type, was published in 1377. Its historical significance might have contributed to UNESCO's selection of the city.
The center is slated to open in 2019 and there will be about 20 staffers, including civil servants specializing in documentation and other experts. The National Archives of Korea will work with Cheongju for its upcoming construction.
As the ICDH is to be established here, the government expects Korea to be more influential in UNESCO's documentary heritage and the Memory of the World.
The ICDH is a category 2 center under the auspices of UNESCO, but is not funded by the organization as the member country where the center is located pays for it.
Korea has four other category 2 centers — the Asia-Pacific Centre Of Education For International Understanding, the International Information & Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region, the International Centre of Martial Arts for Youth Development and Engagement, and the International Centre for Water Security and Sustainable Management.
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