Assemblyman Lee Byung-hoon: "A 'Legal Foundation' Must Be Established to Promote the Use of Modern and Contemporary Cultural Heritage"

Proposed Legislation on the Preservation, Management, and Utilization of Modern and Contemporary Cultural Heritage

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] A bill to supplement the legal and institutional gaps in the protection of modern cultural heritage has been submitted.

On the 18th, Lee Byung-hoon, a member of the National Assembly (Democratic Party of Korea, Gwangju Dongnam-gu Eul), announced that he had proposed the "Act on the Preservation, Management, and Utilization of Modern and Contemporary Cultural Heritage (Establishment Bill)."

The bill proposed by Assemblyman Lee aims to fill the legal gap in the protection of modern cultural heritage under 50 years old through a preliminary cultural property system for the protection of modern cultural heritage.

It also includes the introduction of the concept of modern and contemporary cultural heritage and the establishment of basic principles for sustainable preservation and utilization, enabling preservation and utilization that consider the characteristics of modern and contemporary cultural heritage and the purpose of the system.

Additionally, the bill introduces a temporary national registered cultural property system to supplement the insufficient registered cultural property system and establishes a legal basis for promoting the utilization of modern and contemporary cultural heritage, including support for its use.

Recently, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee has presented industrial heritage from the modern period and 20th-century modern architecture as new preservation targets along with cultural landscapes, industrial landscapes, and historic urban landscapes. The scope of world heritage preservation is expanding spatially and temporally to encompass modern and contemporary concepts.

South Korea also introduced the registered cultural property system in 2001, which is based on the voluntary preservation will of owners and flexible protection measures to protect modern cultural heritage.

To date, 878 cultural properties have been registered as national registered cultural properties, protecting them as distinctive national historical and cultural resources.

However, under the current "Cultural Heritage Protection Act" system centered on designated cultural properties, institutional measures for protecting modern cultural heritage under 50 years old are insufficient, raising concerns about legal gaps in the protection of modern cultural heritage.

Assemblyman Lee said, "Modern and contemporary cultural heritage is an important evidence of social change and development and a key target for enjoying and utilizing cultural heritage, and awareness of its importance is increasing day by day. Legal and institutional support is urgently needed for the preservation and utilization of modern and contemporary cultural heritage that may be damaged or lost before being recognized for its cultural value."

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