[INTERVIEW] Cultural heritage agency revamped with fresh identity

Cultural Heritage Administration transforms into Korea Heritage Service May 17

By Park Han-sol

Since its founding in 1999, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) has been the state-run gatekeeper and guardian of Korea’s cultural treasures.

However, in the eyes of CHA chief Choi Eung-chon, who celebrated the second anniversary of his post this week, the agency has, over the years, come to be perceived as inflexibly bureaucratic and regulatory in its approach to historical heritage in the name of conservation.

That’s all about to change on May 17 as the organization faces the biggest turning point in its two-decade history, marked by the sweeping overhaul of its policies to measure up to its new name — the Korea Heritage Service (KHS).

“The launch of the KHS signals a reorientation of our policy focus from mere preservation of the past to embracing heritage as a living, sustainable asset with which people of today can actually engage,” Choi, a veteran player in the field with prior roles at the National Museum of Korea and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, said in an interview with The Korea Times, May 7.

“Our aim is to streamline regulations previously tangled in red tape so that the assets can coexist with development efforts without being put at risk of damage.”

The state agency’s unprecedented overhaul follows the enactment of the new Framework Act on National Heritage last year. The legislation aims to restructure the existing Cultural Heritage Protection Act, which has remained a largely unchanged cornerstone of Korea’s cultural preservation efforts since its establishment in 1962.

The most prominent change involves abandoning the decades-old classification system of “cultural heritage” — which, in Korean, was referred to as “cultural property” and thus disproportionately emphasized its value as “material goods,” according to Choi.

The term “national heritage” will replace “cultural property” and will be categorized into three expanded types — cultural, natural and intangible — in line with the UNESCO heritage classification.

“It’s remarkable that the new legislation was able to be ratified by the National Assembly in just over a year,” the administrator noted. “The near-unanimous agreement across ruling and opposition parties signals widespread consensus on the need to restructure our dated heritage regulations.”

It is a rare case worldwide to adopt a new classification system aligned with UNESCO heritage standards and integrate it all under one institution’s governance within such a short span of time, he added.

The revamped classification, along with updated regulations tailored to each heritage category, is expected to enable the service to strike a more nuanced balance between safeguarding and easing protective measures to align with contemporary cultural norms.

One notable example is the revised regulation concerning the export of 20th-century artifacts, particularly works of art.

Under the Cultural Heritage Protection Act, items designated as “ordinary movable cultural heritage,” which included modern artworks of historical significance aged 50 years or more, were prohibited from leaving the country without the CHA’s authorization.

This meant that paintings by Korean modern art pioneers like Kim Whanki (1913-74) and Lee Jung-seop (1916-56) were largely inaccessible on the international art market, limiting their global recognition.

With the establishment of the new agency, travel restrictions have been completely lifted for artworks created after 1946 — a significant year chosen due to the rise of full-time domestic artists following the end of the Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.

“The existing ordinance was historically implemented to curb the widespread plundering of artifacts, particularly prevalent during the colonial era,” Choi remarked. “As times change, we have recognized the increasing international demand for modern Korean art at fairs, auctions and exhibitions. The reforms directly address this shift by facilitating the global exchange of such works.”

He concluded his thoughts with an aphorism: “When you’re standing still, it’s just ground beneath you, but once you start walking, it becomes a path.”

“The advent of the Korea Heritage Service era heralds a significant change. We anticipate administrative confusion, resistance and budgetary concerns at the outset, but if the state doesn’t take the lead, how can we expect progress? Changes won’t happen overnight, but May 17 marks the first stride toward that.”