Celebrating global heritage in Seoul

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Celebrating global heritage in Seoul


According to the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, a UFO was witnessed in the Gangwon Province in September, 1606, and it became the inspiration for popular Korean drama “My Love from the Star.” When records are accumulated and used in culture, arts, industries and society, Korea’s cultural level and national competitiveness are enhanced.

Just as the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty proves, Korea is internationally recognized for the tradition of archival culture. Korea has 13 items recognized as UNESCO Memory of the World, more than any other country in Asia, and the fourth highest in the world. Items include the Hunmin Chongum Manuscript, the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, and the printing woodblocks of the Tripitaka Koreana.

Economist Joseph Schumpeter viewed innovation as a process of creative destruction, a change as a result of the integration of resources. The innovation does not mean a departure from the past records but is made possible based on the accumulation of the records from the past.

Now, records are beyond the mere preservation of bygone historical facts but are the foundation for new innovation, seed for creation and further evolution. Records are accumulated and become an archive. The government and private sector need to work together to accumulate the experiences that will become the foundation for the fourth industrial revolution and provide creative resources for economy culture, industrial technology and science. It is most important to enhance the awareness and seek specific strategies for the future.

Just in time, from September 5 to 10, international archivists get together in Seoul for the International Council on Archives Congress.

Heads of national archives and specialists from more than 100 countries gather to discuss how to accumulate and utilize the archival heritage of the humanity.

Reminding all that the foundation of the fourth industrial revolution was the accumulation and convergence of human knowledge, the ICA Congress will be the most prestigious festival of archival management, planting the seed for innovation and creation.

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