Cultural Heritage Administration Selects 13 Recipients for 'Cultural Heritage Protection Merit Awards'

Silver Crown Cultural Medal · Gu Jadong (Holder of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Gijisi Juldarigi)

The Cultural Heritage Administration (Administrator Kim Hyun-mo) announces 13 recipients (10 individuals, 3 organizations) of the '2021 Cultural Heritage Protection Merit Awards,' including 6 recipients of the Order of Cultural Merit, 6 recipients of the Presidential Citation, and 1 recipient of the Prime Minister's Citation. The award ceremony will be held on the 8th at the Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation's 'Folk Theater Pungnyu.'

This year, the Silver Crown Order of Cultural Merit was awarded to the late photographer Han Seok-hong, a pioneer of cultural heritage photography in Korea who enhanced the value of national treasures such as Seokguram Grotto, and to Gu Ja-dong, a holder of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage, who devoted over 60 years to the transmission and education of the Gijisi Juldarigi (Gijisi Tug-of-War).

The Bronze Crown Order of Cultural Merit was awarded to the late pen artist Kim Young-taek, who meticulously illustrated over 200 architectural cultural assets contributing to heritage documentation and popularization, and to Jo Yoo-jeon, former director of the Gyeonggi Cultural Heritage Research Institute, who contributed to the establishment of ancient history through excavations of major sites such as the Tomb of King Muryeong.

The Jade Crown Order of Cultural Merit was awarded to Jeong Su-hwa, a holder of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Chiljang (lacquerware craftsman), who contributed to the reproduction of traditional lacquer refining techniques and the development of traditional crafts, and to Kim Soon-gi, a holder of the Gyeonggi Province Intangible Cultural Heritage Somokjang (wood joinery craftsman), who contributed to the preservation of important cultural properties by restoring windows and doors using traditional styles and techniques.

The Presidential Citation was awarded to 4 individuals and 2 organizations. The recipients include diver Park Yong-gi (who excavated six old ships and over 46,000 underwater artifacts over 19 years), Kim Gu-seok, director of the Gyeongju Namsan Research Institute (discovering and preserving the cultural heritage value of Gyeongju Namsan), Song Jun-tae, team leader of Sosu Museum (preservation and management of cultural heritage in Yeongju, Gyeongbuk), and Lim Chae-soo of the Korea Bird Protection Association (volunteer activities for natural heritage protection). The organizations awarded are the South-North Historians Association (promoting inter-Korean scholar exchanges and joint academic discussions for the preservation of national cultural heritage) and Jingwansa Temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism (preserving tangible and intangible cultural heritage through traditional temple culture).

The Prime Minister's Citation was awarded to the Namjicheolgyo Cultural Heritage Keepers (a local cultural heritage protection movement for preserving Namjicheolgyo Bridge in Changnyeong).

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