Hanji to be considered as Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage

The late hanji craftsman Ryu Hang-young works on making traditional Korean paper. [CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION]

Traditional knowledge and skills associated with the production of hanji, or traditional Korean paper, and related cultural practices are vying to be listed on Unesco's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) announced Monday that it has submitted the nomination file to Unesco on March 31. The nomination will be reviewed by the Unesco Secretariat and its Evaluation Body. The final decision on the inscription will be made in December, during the 21st session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Hanji is made from mulberry trees and has been produced in Korea for a thousand years. It was passed down through generations and requires meticulous crafting skills. The work of making hanji is a collaborative endeavor as it involves craftsmen's skills and knowledge alongside a local communities’ traditional labor-sharing scheme known as pumasi that assists from harvesting mulberry bark to processing it.

Hanji plays an important role today especially in safeguarding the sustainable development of intangible cultural heritage.

Choi Eung-chon, head of the CHA said that the government will do its best to "cooperate with hanji craftsmen and related organizations to ensure that the traditional knowledge and skills of hanji production are registered on the Unesco list."

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]