Incheon City Launches Full-Scale Selection of Registered Cultural Heritage Sites Over 50 Years Old

Incheon City Hall

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon City is set to actively select registered cultural assets to preserve modern and contemporary cultural heritage and outstanding architectural assets.

Registered cultural assets can be selected from heritage that is not designated as existing cultural assets but has a history of over 50 years and holds commemorative or symbolic value in fields such as history, culture, art, or religion.

In response to numerous cases of modern buildings being destroyed or damaged during urban regeneration projects due to not being designated as cultural assets, the government amended the Cultural Heritage Protection Act in December 2019 and introduced the city/province registered cultural asset system.

Incheon, having many modern cultural heritages such as foreign concessions, post offices, and clubs since Jemulpo opened as a port in 1883, has seen continuous calls from academia and civic groups for preservation and utilization.

Accordingly, Incheon City revised the 'Incheon City Cultural Heritage Protection Ordinance' and its 'Enforcement Rules' last year to establish an institutional foundation in line with the introduction of the city/province registered cultural asset system.

The city will first select the first city-registered cultural asset that resonates with citizens along with Incheon's port opening history this year.

After accepting applications for registered cultural assets until the 26th, the city plans to complete the selection by June through on-site investigations and deliberations by the city cultural heritage committee.

Registered cultural assets receive support for repair costs for maintenance and management, as well as benefits such as local tax reductions and deferrals. Unlike designated cultural assets, only the exterior must be preserved, allowing internal use changes without special restrictions.

An Incheon City official stated, "Unlike designated cultural assets, registered cultural assets can be utilized by owners without regulations," and added, "We hope many modern cultural heritages will be submitted and that the registered cultural asset system will be revitalized."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.