[2022 National Audit] "Urgent Need for Cultural Heritage Management Measures Considering Climate Change"

519 Cultural Heritage Sites Damaged by Wind and Flood Disasters in the Past Decade
"Need to Establish Systems Incorporating Digital Twin Technology"

There is an urgent call for measures to manage cultural heritage in response to climate change.

According to data released on the 11th by Kim Yoon-duk, a member of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee from the Democratic Party, the number of cultural properties damaged by wind and flood disasters over the past 10 years from 2013 to this year is 519 cases. Last month, Typhoon Hinnamnor, which struck the Korean Peninsula, caused damage to thirty-four cultural properties, including twenty-six historic sites, three treasures, and two national folk cultural properties. An emergency repair budget of 4.1 billion KRW was allocated.

At the Cultural Heritage Administration’s national audit on the same day, Assemblyman Kim told Choi Eung-cheon, the head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, “Damage from wind and flood disasters occurs repeatedly,” adding, “If management is poor, the cultural properties in question may face the risk of extinction. It is necessary to have cultural heritage management responses to cope with the climate crisis.” He emphasized, “Research and phased approaches should be conducted like in advanced countries overseas.”

In some countries, efforts are made to minimize damage caused by climate change and new types of disasters by identifying risk factors and damage mechanisms. They develop prediction and modeling technologies and risk assessment tools, and also establish comprehensive systems for climate change and disaster response.

Assemblyman Kim stated, “Gyeongsang and Jeju, where the damage from Hinnamnor was concentrated, were places where a 3D database construction project for cultural heritage was underway,” adding, “If it had been completed a bit more quickly, disaster preparedness simulations would have been possible, and cultural heritage restoration after disasters could have been restored closer to the original state.”

He further urged, “Research and response management measures by disaster type must be urgently prepared,” and requested, “Please review and report on ways to apply digital twin technology, which is being promoted by the Korea Land and Geospatial Informatix Corporation (LX) for integrated management of state-owned properties, to the cultural heritage sector.”

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