Cultural Heritage Administration Retreats to Seize Opportunity and Advances to Sound the Warning Bell

Meeting with Choi Eung-cheon, Cultural Heritage Administration Chief
Initial Incompatibility with Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Cheongwadae Utilization
Decided to Wait for Basic Survey Results on Gyeongbokgung Rear Garden Preservation and Utilization Plans
Strong Response to Administrative Lawsuit over Apartment Complex near Gimpo Jangneung

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Choi Eung-cheon, the Commissioner of the Cultural Heritage Administration, is an expert in Buddhist art. He has published various works on Buddhist offering vessels and Buddhist statues. He has also systematically organized information on domestic temple bells. He has extensive administrative experience, having served as the head of the National Museum of Korea, director of the National Chuncheon Museum, and professor and museum director at Dongguk University. He has long been considered a candidate for the position of Commissioner of the Cultural Heritage Administration. However, during the first two months after his appointment, his capabilities were not fully demonstrated. He had to visit and inspect sites where pressing issues, such as at Jangneung in Gimpo, were unfolding. He also had to form the Blue House Public Opening Promotion Team to transform the Blue House into a cultural space for citizens. Commissioner Choi has been contemplating ways to enhance the utilization value of the site. While conducting physical surveys to determine the presence or absence of underground relics, he is also preparing preliminary investigations to assess historical and cultural values. This is preparatory work to review preservation and utilization plans for the rear garden of Gyeongbokgung Palace. It will take at least five months to develop a comprehensive preservation and management plan. This timeline is bound to be out of sync with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which plans to hold a premium exhibition as early as next month. The Cultural Heritage Administration is an external agency under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

At a press conference held on the 27th at Han-guk-ui Jip in Jung-gu, Seoul, Commissioner Choi did not offer excuses when criticized for confusion over the utilization plans for the Blue House. He said, "Rather than focusing on utilization, we had no choice but to prioritize making it comfortable and safe for the influx of citizens to visit," adding, "Given the limited budget and personnel, it is significant that the staff have managed the Blue House until now." Regarding conflicts with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism over preservation, he stated, "I will focus on the Cultural Heritage Administration’s core duty of preservation without being concerned about the managing authority." The Cultural Heritage Administration branch of the National Public Officials Labor Union expressed concerns about Minister Park Bo-gyun’s plans for the Blue House on the 25th. The union has 498 members, and including members at grade 5 and above, the total reaches about 700.

On the 11th, citizens visiting Cheongwadae in Jongno-gu, Seoul, are touring Sangchunjae. The Cheongwadae opening event allows only online applicants who won the lottery to visit six times a day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with 6,500 people each time, totaling 39,000 visitors daily. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Commissioner Choi was able to support the voices of the staff without much burden. This is because President Yoon Seok-yeol has made the restoration of the historical value of the rear garden of Gyeongbokgung Palace a national agenda item. The plan includes excavating and restoring key relics over four years starting next year. However, Commissioner Choi said, "When the Governor-General’s residence of Joseon was built during the Japanese colonial period, the stratigraphy was disturbed and excavated, so the likelihood of finding relics or artifacts of national historic site status is low," adding, "It is more likely to be designated as a Registered Cultural Heritage (modern cultural heritage) or Natural Monument." In this case, the utilization led by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the preservation management by the Cultural Heritage Administration can coexist. Commissioner Choi said, "We intend to preserve as much as possible," and added, "We will first conduct a preliminary investigation of the rear garden of Gyeongbokgung Palace and observe the results."

Meanwhile, Commissioner Choi reiterated his stance to actively engage in administrative litigation related to unauthorized alterations in the apartment complex near Jangneung in Gimpo, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. On the 8th, the Seoul Administrative Court ruled in the first trial that the construction suspension order issued to the construction company was unjust. The Cultural Heritage Administration filed an appeal on the 22nd. Commissioner Choi said, "We had to appeal to sound a warning. If we do not take action, second and third incidents are inevitable," showing a tough stance. He vowed, "There are repeated cases where major cultural heritage sites suffer damage to their authority and status due to conflicts with residents or local governments. We will respond with a more proactive and stronger attitude."

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