N. Korea set for solo UNESCO taekwondo listing as Seoul misses joint bid
South Korea, which spearheaded the global spread and modernization of taekwondo, is facing criticism over its delayed UNESCO listing effort, letting North Korea take the lead for early registration on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Although North Korea's listing does not block South Korea's move for its separate listing of the martial art, criticism is rising over its belated attempt to…
South Korea, the pioneer in globalizing and modernizing taekwondo, is facing backlash for its delayed effort to gain UNESCO recognition. Meanwhile, North Korea has taken the initiative to register taekwondo as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. Although the North's listing won't halt South Korea's pursuit of a separate listing, there is growing criticism over South Korea's tardy attempt to co-list taekwondo with North Korea, which has shown no response.
According to Huh Min, head of the Korea Heritage Service, North Korea's application - titled "Taekwon-Do, traditional martial art in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" - is anticipated to receive a recommendation for inscription upon evaluation by UNESCO experts. Though an evaluation body's recommendation is essentially a recommendation, such assessments typically culminate in inscription.
The final verdict will be reached during the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, scheduled to convene in Xiamen, China, from November 30 to December 5.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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