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New Three Documentary Heritages Inscribed on the UNESCO's Memory of the World List
Writer
International Cooperation Division
Date
2017-11-08
Read
2014
Three Korean documentary heritages were inscribed on the UNESCO's Memory of the World List at the 13th Internatinoal Advisory Committee held in Paris from October 24 through 27. Newly inscribed heritages are Royal Seal and Investiture Book Collection of the Joseon Dynasty, the Archives of the National Debt Redemption Movement, and Documents on Joseon Tongsinsa / Chosen Tsushinshi (Korean Embassies) : The History of Peace Building and Culture Exchanges between Korea and Japan from the 17th to 19th Century. The royal seals and books were bestowed to the kings and queens, commemorating their important lifetime occasions and cermonies such as investitures and inauguration of official titles. The seals and books were produced from the beginning of the Joseon until the very end, coming down to the modern era for approximately 570 years. It is the only extant case of continuously producing and enshrining seals and books for such a long period. The preservation of the seals and books as a full collection adds to the documentary value of these items as an archive. The Archives of the National Debt Redemption Movement is a documentary heritage chronicling the entire process and history of a nationwide campaign undertaken by the Korean public from 1907 to 1910 to help their government repay a huge external debt and thereby protect their national sovereignty. Onerous sovereign debt was a common problem between imperial powers and their colonies in the 20th century, and remains an issue of major concern between developed countries and underdeveloped countries in the 21st century. There are two ways to cope with this problem : cancellation or repayment of the debt. Jubille 2000 represents the former, and the National Debt Redemption Movement exemplifies citizen action on the latter. In this regard, the spirit of the National Debt Redemption Movement can be seen as a living legacy of humanity, and outstanding example of civic solidarity to overcome national crisis by fulfilling the obligation to repay the national debt. Documents on Joseon Tongsinsa / Chosen Tsushinshi (Korean Embassies) : The History of Peace Building and Culture Exchanges between Korea and Japan from the 17th to 19th Century comprises materials related to 12 diplomatic missions dispatched from Korea to Japan between 1607 and 1811 at the request of Japan's Shogunate government. The missions benefited not only the two countries, but also East Asia as a whole by stabilizing the polictical situation and maintaining trading channels. These documents have universal significance in fostering permanent peace and cross-cultural communication.
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