Lesson 10 Efforts towards Preservation of Heritage

ry o t S Opening

Haerye Edition of the Hunminjeongeum (Korean) Manuscript

“Because the speech of this country is different from that of China, it [the spoken language] does not match the [Chinese] letters. Therefore, even if the ignorant want to communicate, many of them, in the end, cannot state their concerns. Saddened by this, I have [had] 28 letters newly made. It is my wish that all the people may easily learn these letters and that [they] be convenient for daily use.”

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Above is a part of the preface included in the Haerye Edition of the Hunminjeongum. UNESCO included Hunminjeongum in the Memory of the World Register in 1997. Hunminjeongum means, “the proper sound for the instruction of the people,” and refers to Hangul, the Korean language.

The Korean letters were what King Sejong the Great made for the people.

Previously, they were using Chinese letters which were ideograms, so it was difficult for people to memorize countless letters. However, Hangul is composed of 28 phonograms so it was easy for people to learn it.

Before Hangul was promulgated, people were illiterate, so they ate poisonous plants or committed crimes out of ignorance. King Sejong took pity on these people and despite the fierce opposition from the privileged class, he established Hangul. Hangul represented his love for his people, and it became the power to protect Korean sovereignty. Hangul that Sejong the Great has made and passed down generations as a legacy laid the foundation to protect the spirit and culture of Korea, and it continues to develop today.

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1. Humanity’ s Heritage

A people's relationship to their heritage is the same as the relationship of a child to its mother.

John Henrik Clarke (American historian, 1915-1998)

What are the Heritages of Humanity?

Many cultural heritages across the globe that were preserved are previous footprints of humanity that embody the mindset and the history of past generations. All heritages are assets that should be handed down to future generations to be loved and developed.

Also, the people who pass down such tangible and intangible heritages are a part of the heritage.

Colosseum, Seokguram Grotto, Great Wall of China, Pyramid, Niagara Falls 6

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1. World’s Heritages that Should Be Preserved Including the Colosseum, which was used as an arena for battles and theaters; Korea’s representative stone temple with architectural beauty; China’s Great Wall, which was selected as one of world’s seven wonders; and Canada’s Niagara Falls that show the grand beauty of nature, there are marvelous historic sites and scenic locations across the globe. We refer to these valuable assets that connect the past, present, and future of humanity as “world heritage.”

UNESCO explains world heritage as, “[…] our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations.”

World’s heritages deliver universal value to all humanity irrelevant to where they exist.

“World heritage” sites are classified into natural, cultural, and mixed, depending on their characteristics. Natural heritage sites are areas in nature

cultural heritage / natural heritage / Mixed heritage

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that are composed of organic and biological beings, natural regions or historic sites displaying outstanding beauty, or areas worth conserving as they furnish habitats for diverse animals and plants. Cultural heritage sites include monumental sculptures, buildings, structures, paintings, historic sites, etc. that carry excellent and universal values. Mixed heritage sites are areas that exhibit both natural and cultural significance. In addition, the traditional culture of each nation and region or key records worldwide is world heritages that all global citizens should protect and preserve.

2. Value of World Heritage Why is world heritage important and valuable to us? Within humanity’s inheritance, the mindset of ancestors to pass down a beautiful world to future generations is instilled. Of course, there is heritage produced from negative aspects of the history, but they serve as lessons for the people of today and provide guidance as to the appropriate direction we should head in for the future. From heritage, we discover our forefather’s life and wisdom, and they pave the way for the future. Well-preserved heritages are a collection of countless contents and the foundation to create new contents as well.

Furthermore, world heritage sites located in various parts of the world create different impacts on their nearby regions and societies. They facilitate the industry of the region, create educational and development opportunities, induce economic benefits such as hosting investment or

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tourists and add vigor to regions by making job opportunities. In addition, world heritages act as a catalyst in binding regions to provide a sense of belonging. World heritages also imbue a sense of purpose, help people understand their identity, and strengthen their capabilities. They serve as the foundation for mutual understanding and peace, which enable people of the region to achieve sustainable development.

3. Culture of Mind and Myself as World Heritage

Concept of Heritage World heritage, intangible cultural heritage of humanity, documentary heritage, etc. ▼

Concept of Heritage Expanded Mind, humans

Heritage does not contain only visible elements. Invisible history is connected with heritage at the core, and numerous people and their touch and footsteps are intertwined with the culture of mind forming the basis.

Tug-of-war

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One of the intangible cultural heritages of humanity includes “tug-ofwar.” It is widespread in Northeast Asian countries such as South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Philippines where rice culture is prevalent to pray for a good harvest and to seek cooperation and harmony among members of the community. By playing tug-of-war, members form social bonding and a sense of community and proclaim that a new farming period has begun. While playing tug-of-war, where two teams pull at the end of the rope, who wins or loses is not the point as the purpose of the sport lies in promoting the community’s prosperity and well-being. Through this sport, seniors bring in youth to the event planned out, playing key roles, and members of the community strengthen solidarity and unity.

Playing tug-of-war is more than simply having two teams pull at the end of the rope. It embodies the spirit of promoting harmony and consolidation of the community and the community’s prosperity by announcing the beginning of another farming period. Hence, we believe that the concept of heritage should go beyond what is tangible to include the spirit included in the tangible. Furthermore, those who pass on that mindset should also be a part of the notion of heritage.

People are the connection to world heritage regardless of whether they are tangible or intangible, and the vessel to pass down the value of mindset and spirit from the past. Our perception will change when we view a man as a vessel rather than a simple person. When we consider the existence of people as an existence of heritages, more and more people will appreciate life. Also, when people consider that their lives can be an inheritance to future generations, they will lead their lives in a more responsible manner.

People with life are the most valuable world heritage that all regional societies and humanities should work together to preserve.

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Discussion

1. What is designated as a world heritage in my country? Let’s look into what kind of values they embody and share each other’s opinions.

2. If I carry value as humanity’s heritage, what kind of heritage would I want to be remembered as? Let’s think about this topic and share each other’s opinions.

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2. Preservation and Development of Heritage

It is not the honor that you take with you, but the heritage you leave behind.

Branch Rickey (American sportsman, 1881-1965)

How to Preserve and Develop Heritage?

Each heritage has its own unique value, so we need to respect, preserve, and develop it. The future of humanity is shaped based on the foundation of world heritage and so the responsibility to preserve and develop heritage rests on the shoulders of I, a member of the global community. The region and community I belong to should pay close attention to heritage, and put in effort even if it is small to help preserve and develop it.

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1. Why We Should Preserve Heritage Most people would agree that natural and cultural heritage should be well-preserved and taken care of since they are precious to humanity.

This is because protecting and developing world heritage also involves protecting and passing down the history and spirit instilled within.

However, in reality, we can often see how people neglect or fail to reach a consensus on the preservation of heritage. People also think that protecting cultural heritage is something the nation and its experts should do, and something irrelevant to them. Other times, people consider heritage as a mere means to host tourists or that they are for nation or individual’s profit. In worse cases, people abuse heritage or mistreat it.

For instance, there are cases of university students visiting heritage sites for tourism and vandalizing on walls, taking stone artifacts or natural objects within historic sites, or denigrating heritage itself because Palmyra, Syria

they can’t acknowledge differences and diversity in culture and ideology. These

stem from the lack of proper education and mindset on the topic.

There were also cases in which extremist groups destroyed key heritage sites that had been preserved for a long time during war and terrorist attacks.

In 2014, a historic site (from 6th century BC) in Iraq, the tomb of Jonah (a prophet in the Bible) was destroyed due to armed forces’ apostasy policy.

Egypt’s Islamic Art Museum was severely damaged by a car bombing and Preservation and Development of Heritage

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ended up being closed without restoration. Palmyra, an oasis in the Syrian desert, had existed even before 2,000 BC and was acknowledged as one of the most progressive construction heritages, but some parts were damaged by explosions caused by exploiters.

As we can see from these cases, neglecting, damaging, and destroying world heritage takes place in different corners of the world due to human greed and selfishness, the complication of interests, and conflicts. We as an individual need to recognize these issues, and as a member of the global community, protect these heritages that embody history and mindset. This begins with greater attention to protection of heritage as something closely related to us. Peace education is about enlightening and urging people to be aware of this.

2. Cambodia’s Case of Preserving Angkor Park Toward the end of the 20th century, Cambodia was suffering from a 25year long civil war. What helped Cambodia to recover from the physical and economic impact of the war was Angkor Park. The Angkor Wat’s historic site contains magnificent remains of various capitals of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to 15th centuries. Citizens were able to unite once again thanks to the park left by their forefathers, and they were able to take pride in being a member of the country.

In 1995, the international community collaborated to found the Authority for the Protection of the Site and Management of the Region of Angkor (APSARA), composed of a small number of experts working to provide appropriate economic, financial and human resource support

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to ensure sustainable development of the park. APSARA gradually implemented a policy that integrates regional society into all phases of park management, and as a result it was able to induce sustainable use and protection of the park.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

The protection authority and residents formed trust and cooperation with one another. By taking care of the existing natural resources and facilitating tourism, the opportunities to enhance the condition of life for residents increased significantly, and the residents actively engaged in managing and developing the park with self-endowed responsibility and greater role. The people also established a town development committee through direct election. In addition, they made sub-committees in charge of specific programs in multiple fields such as agriculture, ranching, forest management, handicrafts, micro-credit loan, potable water, renewable energy, etc. APSARA also provided support to help each sub-committee accomplish their goals. In addition to tangible heritage, they made a commentary program while studying Angkor Wat temple’s tradition and lifestyle along with residents’ village life. This was a part of their effort to preserve and develop intangible heritage.

As we can witness from the case of Angkor Wat, managing, preserving, and developing heritage is not something the government does on its own; rather, a communal effort is needed where people of the area inherit the spirit instilled in the heritage and live in harmony with the heritage. Also, such effort becomes an important foundation to preserve and develop the history and value behind the heritage.

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3. Efforts at Various Layers to Preserve and Develop World Heritages Since the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted at the 17th General Assembly of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on 16 January 1972, countries have been striving to enlist their respective cultural and natural heritage carrying outstanding universal value (OUV) as world heritage. As a result, in 2017, there were 832 cultural heritage sites, 206 natural heritage, and 35 mixed heritage, totaling 1,073 world heritage registered at UNESCO from 167 countries.

• Having strategic management of history, culture, and environment by enacting laws to manage heritages and the nearby areas.

• Discover and foster experts no preserving historic sites to enable systematic management.

• Create social consensus to ensure that historic sites and residents of nearby cultural heritage are able to co-exist, and offer educational programs for site preservation and management.

• Utilize the sites for tourism, develop relevant contents, tourism and experiencing programs, spread cultural heritage, and facilitate visits.

• Discover new cultural heritages, develop and pass them down.

Each country is doing more than simply having their heritage enlisted in world heritage as they put in efforts. We can see from Cambodia’s case to preserve and manage their heritages.

To have a proper understanding of cultural heritage, visiting and 16

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experiencing heritage sites individually or together with family, or introducing my town’s heritage to others can be small but meaningful efforts. Schools can educate the students by including cultural heritage in the curriculum and provide opportunities to discuss and learn about cultural heritage through extracurricular activities and after-school programs among others. In addition, having teachers and students take care of and promote heritage is a recommended method as well. For civil organizations, they can start and run various cultural heritage protection projects including education, volunteering, and cultural activities, monitoring, etc. and programs that include participation of civilians. Private companies can utilize their resources such as human and financial resources, etc. to contribute to society and provide seminars to get engaged in protecting cultural heritage and support those who are willing. There are companies that sign agreements with cultural heritage administrations or those that implement project on their own to ensure preservation of cultural heritage through diverse methods.

It is not that preserving and passing down cultural heritage to future generations requires something grand or complicated. There are efforts at the national level, but the first step begins with individuals recognizing the necessity of preserving heritage, and having the mindset that it begins with “I.” It is not an exaggeration to say that we are born with the responsibility to protect and develop cultural we inherited from our forefathers as we are a member of the human society and regional society, Hence, we need to be aware of this and our responsibilities to preserving cultural heritage, and build our character and capabilities as we ourselves are heritage as well. We need to pour our efforts into discovering and continuing a decent mindset and values from the past.

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Discussion

1. Let’s look for a heritage that I want to preserve and further develop and share each other’s opinions.

2. What are the efforts that I can put in together with someone else to preserve and develop the heritage of my family or country? Let’s make a plan on how to put it into practice and share each other’s opinions.

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3. World Peace, the Best Heritage

My job is to achieve peace and cessation of war to make such a world a lasting legacy to future generations.

Man Hee Lee (Chairman of HWPL, South Korea, 1931-present)

What is the Best Heritage Humanity Needs?

World peace in itself is a basic condition to preserve heritage passed down from forefathers, and peace is the greatest heritage that we must complete and pass down to future generations. To this end, we must first become a heritage of peace and have a mindset of peace.

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1. Why Korea Promotes World Peace as Heritage South Korea is well-known for K-pop with stars like BTS, and a powerhouse for the IT sector, semiconductors, smart phones, and display industries. Since the Korean War, it has achieved remarkable economic developed also dubbed, “Miracle of the Han River,” and became an economic power in the global arena. Currently, the country has GNP exceeding 30,000 dollars, reaffirming its position as one of the developed countries.

However, merely 100 years ago, Korea was colonized by Japan, a neighboring country, and was exploited of key cultural heritage. At the time, Koreas were oppressed including not being able to use their language due to Japan’s policy to wipe out Korea’s national identity. The provisional government established for the purpose of independence struggled despite the far distance. A figure that established the provisional government and led the movement for independence was Koo Kim, wrote in his diary titled, “Baekbeom Journal,” which demonstrates the mindset of peace that all Koreans longed for.

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I want my country to be the most beautiful in the world.

It is not that I want it to be the most wealthy and powerful nation. Because I have felt the pain of being invaded by another nation, I do not want my nation to invade others.

It is sufficient that our wealth makes our lives abundant, and our strength is able to prevent foreign invasions.

The only thing that I desire the most is the power of highculture.

This is because the power of culture both makes us happy and gives happiness to others.

What humanity lacks today is not brute force or economic power.

It is sufficient to live in comfort with current nature and knowledge.

The fundamental reason why humanity feels unhappy is that there is a lack of benevolence, righteousness, merciful heart and love.If we can help foster such qualities of heart, all two billion people will be able to live in satisfaction with the current amount of wealth available.

The only thing that can foster these virtues is culture.

I do not want my country to copy others, but to be the cradle of this new high culture, setting an example for other countries to follow. That is why I hope that a truly peaceful world starts with and through Korea.

- Koo Kim, “My Wish” from Baekbeom Journal

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For a part of the last century, Korea was occupied by another country and lived in the agony of being colonized. After liberation, disputes in ideology have led to the Korean War despite being brothers, and hundreds of millions have lost their lives while families were torn apart. Hence, Korea has lived through the torment of being invaded and being deprived of national identity, and the pains of fighting against the same people who are brothers. North and the South still remain divided today, so people are not able to cross the border freely. With the agonizing history, Korea yearns for peace more than any other. As the last divided nation on earth, reconciliation and peaceful unification must be achieved to contribute to world peace. Furthermore, Korea hopes to lead the effort to build a peaceful world to leave it as a legacy to future generations.

2. World Peace, Lasting Heritage for Humanity Through WWI and WWII in the 1900s, we witnessed and realized how easily heritage can be destroyed despite many efforts required to preserve it. Such heritage is an asset that serves as the engine of humanity’s development. Loss of heritage equals national loss and a loss to humanity, and the biggest cause of such loss is the outbreak of wars. Furthermore, wars threaten not only heritage but also human lives as well. We were able to seek development enjoying the benefits of the countless heritage we have inherited from our forefathers. However, it feels as if the most crucial one, peace, is at a stalemate. This is because wars between nations

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triggered by selfish pursuit of self-interest, religions conflicts, refugee issues, hostile military training, etc. have been posing a threat to not only our invaluable world heritage but also to another previous heritage called “humans.”

World peace is the most valuable cultural heritage that humanity dreams of. Peace involves beautiful virtues we find ideal, and it becomes the fertile soil for other virtues to blossom. Everyone across the globe has yearned for peace, but it still remains an unsolved challenge for us to address. The cultural lag stemming from tangible cultural heritage is seeing significant growth while intangible ones like peace are seeing a relatively slower development, which could be another factor that contributes to the current status.

For us to achieve world peace, we ourselves first need to become a peace heritage embodying the mindset of peace. Furthermore, we need a sense of ownership to pass down a heritage of peace to future generations and lead the efforts to spread a culture of peace to all corners of the world. Through peace education, we need to build and spread a culture of peace. In addition, we should urge the implementation of law at a state or international level to ensure the order of peace, and carry out campaigns and activities to help the culture of peace take root. Such endeavors will be the steps that ultimately lead us to world peace.

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Discussion 1. Let’s discuss why passing down world peace is the best heritage for future generations.

2. Let’s share each other’s opinions on what I can do to help achieve world peace.

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Efforts towards Preservation of Heritage Conclusion

There is a diverse heritage across the globe, and our ancestor’s sense of ownership and love for future generations are instilled in such heritage. World heritage widens our perspective by allowing us to take more interest in neighboring countries, other ethnicities, cultures, and religions. The heritage lays the foundation for mutual understanding and becomes a medium for conversations.

The heritage we enjoy today has been preserved and passed down thanks to the efforts of our forefathers, and we, who exist on top of the heritage, are one of the precious heritages as well. As our ancestors made sacrifices and strived to ensure

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that we inherit good heritage, we should be valuable people who strive to build a better world for our descendants.

The most important heritage for us to pass down to future generations is a world of peace. By becoming the realization of a peace heritage embodying a mindset of peace, and spreading this spirit of peace to others, we will be able to pass down the true cultural heritage that is most beautiful called world peace to the future generation.

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Image source p.4 http://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Contents/Item/E0065805 p.6 top first https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EC%BD%9C%EB%A1%9C%EC%84%B8%EC% 9B%80#/media/%ED%8C%8C%EC%9D%BC:Colosseum_in_Rome,_Italy_-_April_2007.jpg top second https://www.hollandamerica.com/blog/destinations/asia-pacific/hollandamerica-line-cruises-take-you-to-these-five-iconic-must-see-sites/ center https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_pyramids#/media/File:All_Gizah_Pyramids.jpg bottom left https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EB%82%98%EC%9D%B4%EC%95%84%EA%B0 %80%EB%9D%BC_%ED%8F%AD%ED%8F%AC#/media/%ED%8C%8C%EC%9D%BC:Niaga ra_watervallen_canada.jpg center bottom right https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EC%84%9D%EA%B5%B4%EC%95%94#/ media/%ED%8C%8C%EC%9D%BC:Seokguram_Buddha.JPG p.7 http://heritage.unesco.or.kr/%ec%9c%a0%ec%82%b0%ec%86%8c%ea%b0%9c/%ec%8 4%b8%ea%b3%84%ec%9c%a0%ec%82%b0%ec%86%8c%ea%b0%9c/ p.9 https://ichcourier.ichcap.org/article/%EC%A4%84%EB%8B%A4%EB%A6%AC% EA%B8%B0%EC%9D%98-%EB%8B%A4%EC%96%91%EC%84%B1%EA%B3%BC%EC%9D%98%EB%AF%B8/?lang=ko p.13 https://pixabay.com/photos/palmyra-desert-pearl-semitic-city-1042931 p.15 https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/668 p.22 https://pt.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficheiro:Kim_Gu_in_1949.jpg

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Data source Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage http:// heritage.unesco.or.kr/portfolio-items/%EC%84%B8%EA%B3%84%EB%AC%B 8%ED%99%94-%EB%B0%8F-%EC%9E%90%EC%97%B0%EC%9C%A0%EC %82%B0-%EB%B3%B4%ED%98%B8%EC%97%90-%EA%B4%80%ED%95%9C-%ED%98%91%EC%95%BD/

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