Korean wrestling jointly listed as South and N. Korea's UNESCO intangible cultural asset
- 5 years ago
남북 "씨름", 유네스코 인류무형문화유산 공동등재
Ssireum.
Traditional Korean wrestling played on a sand pit,... where the contestants have to bring to the ground... any part of the opponent's body above the knees.
The sport has become UNESCO's newest intangible cultural heritage.
What makes this accomplishment even more special... is that the two Koreas jointly applied for such a listing... for the very first time.
Lee Ji-won tells us more.
Traditional Korean wrestling, known as "Ssireum" was added to UNESCO's list of intangible cultural assets on Monday.
At the 13th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, taking place in Mauritius from Monday through Saturday, Ssireum's bid was endorsed by a consensus from 24 member states on the first day of the meeting.
But what's more meaningful about this, is that it's the first such heritage listing... to be shared jointly by the two Koreas.
Initially, South Korea requested the listing of this sport in March 2016, as did North Korea a year earlier in 2015.
Seoul then suggested Pyeongyang for a joint bid earlier this year,... which gained traction after South Korean President Moon Jae-in discussed the plan with UNESCO's Director General in October.
And earlier in November, the two Koreas requested a merger of their separate bids, and seeing how both nominations share the same practices and social, cultural meanings, the committee made the unprecedented move of listing the two nominations as one.
South Korea's foreign affairs ministry said that the international community and UNESCO were very understanding of the two Koreas' motivation for a joint listing, and viewed this as an opening to many more cultural exchanges with the North.
It added that the government will continue to work together with Pyeongyang and the international organization to actively list the two Koreas' joint heritage.
With Ssireum newly added, South Korea now has a total of 20 cultural heritages listed on UNESCO, including Jultagi or tightrope walking, and Jeju's haenyeo, or female divers.
Seoul also shares two other heritages including tug-of-war with other countries.
North Korea now has three tradition on their list, including the song Arirang and kimchi-making, which are both also on South Korea's list, but not shared.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.
Ssireum.
Traditional Korean wrestling played on a sand pit,... where the contestants have to bring to the ground... any part of the opponent's body above the knees.
The sport has become UNESCO's newest intangible cultural heritage.
What makes this accomplishment even more special... is that the two Koreas jointly applied for such a listing... for the very first time.
Lee Ji-won tells us more.
Traditional Korean wrestling, known as "Ssireum" was added to UNESCO's list of intangible cultural assets on Monday.
At the 13th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, taking place in Mauritius from Monday through Saturday, Ssireum's bid was endorsed by a consensus from 24 member states on the first day of the meeting.
But what's more meaningful about this, is that it's the first such heritage listing... to be shared jointly by the two Koreas.
Initially, South Korea requested the listing of this sport in March 2016, as did North Korea a year earlier in 2015.
Seoul then suggested Pyeongyang for a joint bid earlier this year,... which gained traction after South Korean President Moon Jae-in discussed the plan with UNESCO's Director General in October.
And earlier in November, the two Koreas requested a merger of their separate bids, and seeing how both nominations share the same practices and social, cultural meanings, the committee made the unprecedented move of listing the two nominations as one.
South Korea's foreign affairs ministry said that the international community and UNESCO were very understanding of the two Koreas' motivation for a joint listing, and viewed this as an opening to many more cultural exchanges with the North.
It added that the government will continue to work together with Pyeongyang and the international organization to actively list the two Koreas' joint heritage.
With Ssireum newly added, South Korea now has a total of 20 cultural heritages listed on UNESCO, including Jultagi or tightrope walking, and Jeju's haenyeo, or female divers.
Seoul also shares two other heritages including tug-of-war with other countries.
North Korea now has three tradition on their list, including the song Arirang and kimchi-making, which are both also on South Korea's list, but not shared.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.