[2022 National Audit] "No Full-time Curators for Cultural Properties in Seoul Autonomous Districts"

17.3% of Basic Local Government Cultural Heritage Curatorial Officials
11.6% Regular Curatorial Officials... Also Managing Distribution

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Securing cultural heritage specialists in local governments appears to be urgent.

According to the Cultural Heritage Administration's "Status of Public Officials Engaged in Cultural Heritage Work by Basic Local Governments (as of September)" disclosed on the 11th by Kim Ye-ji (People Power Party), a member of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, only seventeen out of 226 basic local governments have organizations managing cultural heritage.

The situation for public officials in charge of cultural heritage at the basic local government level is even more dire. There are 1,497 public officials engaged in cultural heritage work in total. Among them, only 17.3% (259) are specialized curatorial staff. Regular curatorial public officials, excluding part-time and fixed-term employees, account for just 11.6% (174).

In Seoul, among 123 cultural heritage officials working across twenty-five autonomous districts, there is not a single regular curatorial officer. In Gimpo, where the Jangneung incident occurred, four out of five cultural heritage officials are non-curatorial staff. The only curatorial staff member works on a short-term basis with a flexible schedule.

The situations in Jeonju, Gunsan, and Jinju, which have developed into tourist destinations based on cultural heritage, are similar. All cultural heritage officials there are non-curatorial staff. Jeju and Seogwipo are no different.

Some officials also handle safety management of performance halls, movie theaters, and support for cultural centers. In Uiwang, employees responsible for cultural heritage preservation and site management also manage distribution-related businesses such as karaoke rooms.

A significant number have never participated in workshops or briefings related to cultural heritage. According to the Cultural Heritage Administration's "Status of Capacity Building for Local Government Officials," there have been eight workshops and briefings over the past five years, with an average attendance of about seventy people.

Rep. Kim said, "To address various issues, I have taken the lead in proposing a partial amendment to the Cultural Heritage Protection Act to require local governments to employ specialized curatorial personnel," adding, "I hope the Cultural Heritage Administration will actively work with the determination to pass it within this year."

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