Cultural Heritage Administration of the Republic of Korea Starts a New Cooperative Initiative with the Kyrgyz Republic

-Signing an MOU to Promote International Cooperation to Revitalize Traditional Crafts and Cultural Heritage Tourism(11th April 2023)-

Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic: On 11 April, the Cultural Heritage Administration of the Republic of Korea (Administrator Eung-chon Choi, CHA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic (Minister Maksutov Altynbek Askarovich, MCISYP) to strengthen exchange and cooperation in the field of cultural heritage.

On the same day, the International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO (Director-General Ji-sung Kim, ICHCAP) which is affiliated with the CHA, also signed a Record of Discussion (RD) with the Kyrgyz National Committee for UNESCO (Secretary-General Sabira Soltongeldieva), which includes details related to the Official Development Assistance (ODA) project of the CHA for taking shape to MOU.
* Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic is a government department in charge of conservation, use, and management policies for cultural heritage, including cultural heritage and museums in the Kyrgyz Republic
* A Record of Discussion is a written document that captures the key points and decisions made during a meeting, negotiation, or other types of conversations related to the ODA project

This MOU includes the following cooperative areas ▲ Development and management of cultural heritage ▲ Preservation, protection, and digitization of cultural heritage ▲ Capacity building in the field of cultural heritage, including restoration and conservation ▲ Strengthening of the utilization of cultural heritage for sustainable community development ▲ Development cooperation between the institutions and organizations in the field of cultural heritage, and ▲ Cooperation within the framework of international organizations.

According to the signed MOU and RD, the CHA will carry out the ODA project “Promoting Cultural Tourism Industry by Capacity Building for Production and Digital Marketing of Traditional Craft in Kyrgyz Republic” from 2023 to 2026. The objectives are to enhance the institutional capacity regarding traditional crafts, cultivate the human resources relevant to the traditional crafts, strengthen the value chain of traditional crafts, and improve the infrastructure for the traditional crafts communities, including renovating the traditional crafts culture spaces.
*Felt craft: Ala-kiyiz and Shyrdak, as representative traditional crafts of nomadic culture, represent the cultural identity of the Kyrgyz people, which is listed on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
Prior to signing the MOU and RD, there was a high-level meeting between the Republic of Korea and the Kyrgyz Republic to discuss the ODA project and cooperation on the World Heritage listing attended by the Korean delegation, including Kyung-hoon Yi (Vice-Administrator, CHA), Ji-sung Kim (Director-General, ICHCAP), Maksutov Altynbek Askarovich (Minister, MCISYP), and Askarova Ainura Almasbekovna (Vice-Minister, MCISYP).
By implementing this ODA project, CHA is planning to cooperate with the Kyrgyz Republic, which represents Central Asian nomadic culture and the center of the Silk Roads while protecting and promoting cultural heritage. CHA will continue to implement cultural heritage diplomacy step-by-step leading to the social, cultural, and economic development of the Kyrgyz Republic.