Cultural Heritage Administration Simultaneously Introduces World Heritage and Cultural Property Impact Assessments

Announcement of Key Initiatives... Improving Management System to Preempt Issues at Gimpo Jangneung and Others
Revising Regulation and Permission Standards Around Cultural Heritage Sites, Strengthening Continuous Monitoring

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The Cultural Heritage Administration, faced with a difficult situation due to apartment construction in the Gimpo Jangneung Historical and Cultural Environment Preservation Area, is introducing a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA). This is an indicator that evaluates the impact of development activities on the 'Outstanding Universal Value,' which is highly valued in World Heritage sites. Legal grounds will be established to create a protection system that meets international standards.

The Cultural Heritage Administration announced its major tasks for this year on the 2nd, including this initiative. The core focus is on the preservation of historical cultural environments and cultural heritage. A management system will be established through the implementation of statutory affairs under the "Special Act on the Preservation, Management, and Utilization of World Heritage." Separately, a Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment will be introduced to prevent damage to cultural heritage values from large-scale development projects. This assessment serves as a standard to evaluate the impact of development activities on cultural heritage preservation and landscape. Related legal amendments will be pursued by next year, with a pilot operation planned for 2024.

To proactively address issues like those at Gimpo Jangneung, the administration will also improve management systems. It will rationally reorganize regulation and permission standards for areas surrounding cultural heritage sites and strengthen continuous monitoring through nationwide care centers. Additionally, through inter-agency consultations, the system will be linked so that regulatory information on cultural heritage spatial services can be easily accessed via the Land Use Regulation Information Service (Land Connect). The support budget for excavation investigation costs will also be expanded from 16.1 billion KRW last year to 21.2 billion KRW. An official explained, "If a project is canceled due to preservation measures in the investigation area, the full excavation cost will be supported."

New projects include the "Basic Survey Research Project on Historical and Cultural Areas" (3 billion KRW), the discovery and fostering of "Future Intangible Heritage" (1 billion KRW), advancement of the comprehensive cultural heritage repair information system (4.9 billion KRW), traditional survey status investigation and supply-demand plan establishment, preservation management and promotion of "Korea's Tidal Flats" (2.4 billion KRW), support for "Cultural Heritage Industry Interns" (2.4 billion KRW), and development of cultural heritage high school textbooks. They will also prepare improved cultural heritage classification systems aligned with changed cultural heritage policies and international standards, and separately enact laws to protect and utilize natural heritage and modern and contemporary heritage endangered by climate change.

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