The competition over intangible cultural heritage is intensifying. North Korea has taken the lead in the UNESCO registration of Taekwondo, reigniting the cultural heritage rivalry between the two Koreas. This follows China's controversial early registration of the Korean-Chinese Nongak, leading to ongoing tensions over heritage claims involving Taekwondo and Hanbok.
According to the Cultural Heritage Administration on November 4, UNESCO's evaluation body has recommended the registration of North Korea's "Traditional Martial Art of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea - Taekwondo" and South Korea's "Traditional Knowledge, Techniques, and Cultural Practices of Hanji Production." The final decision on registration will be made by the 21st session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, scheduled for December 5 in Xiamen, China. It is rare for a registration recommendation to be overturned.
North Korea submitted its application for Taekwondo registration in March 2024. The South Korean government also sought a joint registration, submitting an application in March this year under the title "Taekwondo: The Training Culture of Korean Dojang Communities," but the prospects for joint registration have become effectively impossible.
This situation contrasts sharply with the 2018 joint registration of wrestling, where both Koreas initially applied separately but later agreed to a joint listing after discussions between then-President Moon Jae-in and the UNESCO Secretary-General. UNESCO hailed this as a "decision for peace and reconciliation."
Heo Min, head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, expressed regret over the difficulties in achieving joint registration but stated that South Korea would continue to pursue either expanded or independent registration of Taekwondo. However, expanded registration will require negotiations with North Korea.
The competition for registration between the two Koreas is fierce. South Korea registered Arirang in 2012 and Kimjang culture in 2013 as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage, while North Korea separately registered Arirang in 2014 and the tradition of making Pyongyang kimchi in 2015. North Korea has also registered the "Joseon Clothing Customs," which shares roots with South Korea's Hanbok culture, in 2024. In response, there have been grassroots movements in South Korea to pursue UNESCO registration for Hanbok. In October of last year, the Hanbok Globalization Foundation launched a task force aimed at registering Hanbok as an intangible cultural heritage by 2030.
The competition for cultural heritage with China is even more pronounced. China registered the "Nongak of the Korean-Chinese" as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage in 2009, while South Korea's Nongak was only registered five years later, in 2014. This led to domestic criticism in South Korea regarding the loss of registration precedence and the government's passive cultural heritage protection policies. Controversies have also arisen over China's designation and management of Hanbok, Arirang, and Kimchi as cultural heritage of its ethnic minorities.
South Korea's Hanji culture is also set to be registered later than both China and Japan. China registered "Traditional Handcraft Techniques of Xuan Paper Production" in 2009, while Japan registered "Traditional Techniques of Handmade Paper Production" (Washi) in 2014.
However, since the introduction of the representative list of intangible cultural heritage in 2008, a single country can apply for multiple heritage listings. When China registered the Korean-Chinese Nongak, the Cultural Heritage Administration explained that "the registration of Nongak by China does not prevent South Korea from registering its own." South Korea's Nongak was registered separately in 2024, five years later than China's.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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