Korea Times: Government Selects 100 National Symbols
Thursday, July 27th, 2006The Korea Times reports:
Government Selects 100 National Symbols
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism Wednesday said that it has designated 100 national and cultural symbols, including hangul, the Korean alphabet, kimchi, Korean traditional side dishes and street football cheering, to better promote the nation’s cultural heritage and tourism.
The selection of the national symbols in six categories _ national, natural, historical, social, folk belief, and the language-arts _was made from last year through a survey of more than 3,000 people by experts and advisors.
“The 100 cultural symbols ranging from the traditional to the modern culture have been designated depending on whether they can be used as cultural and artistic contents representing the national ethos and can contribute to the globalization of the nation’s cultural heritage through international recognition, such as registration with UNESCO,'’ a ministry official said.
Included among the symbols was street cheering by football supporters, which started as a cultural phenomenon during the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup.
The practice contributed to many foreigners changing their perception of Koreans, from seeing them in a rather passive light, based on the image of “morning calm,'’ to being highly active and engaged.
The symbols also contain internationally disputable items such as Dokdo (Tokdo), or easternmost rocky islets in the East Sea and tomb mural paintings of Koguryo Kingdom (B.C. 37-A.D. 668).
The symbols have “chajangmyon'’ which is originally Chinese black-bean noodles, but has been localized as one of Koreans’ favorite foods for a long time, “ondol,'’ or Korean traditional floor heating system, and “chunhyangjon,'’ the Korean folk tale involving the son of an 18th century nobleman and the daughter of a humble family.
The ministry said that the symbols will be used for developing creative contents in artworks and tourism programs and be provided as education contents in studies of national culture.
July 26, 2006