4.19 Revolution and Donghak Peasant Revolution Materials Near Registration as World Documentary Heritage

Recommendation for Registration at International Advisory Committee Meeting
"April 19 Revolution, a Living World Textbook of Democracy"
"Donghak Peasant Revolution, Realizing Universal Values as the People's Subject"

The registration of the April 19 Revolution and the Donghak Peasant Revolution materials as UNESCO Memory of the World is expected to be confirmed. According to the Cultural Heritage Administration on the 17th, the UNESCO Memory of the World International Advisory Committee (IAC) recently reviewed the 'April 19 Revolution Records' and 'Donghak Peasant Revolution Records' at a meeting and issued a recommendation for inscription. The final decision on registration will be made at the UNESCO Executive Board meeting held from the 10th to the 24th of next month.

Die for righteousness, live for truth (1960.4.19)

The April 19 Revolution records refer to heritage materials that show the background, development process, and post-revolution handling of the April 19 Revolution in 1960, which led to the resignation of President Syngman Rhee. They consist of records from government agencies, the National Assembly, political parties, media articles, personal records, investigation reports, photographs, and videos. As a trace of achieving democracy through nonviolence, which was nearly impossible, these records hold significant value in world history.

The Cultural Heritage Administration explained, "It was the first successful nonviolent citizen revolution in the Third World," and described it as "the starting point of global student resistance movements that swept through the 1960s, such as the European '68 Revolutions, the American anti-war movement, and Japan's security struggles (Zengakuren)." They added, "It is a living global textbook of democracy that teaches why we must learn and teach democracy and how to protect it."

Record of Victory (1960.4.27)

The Donghak Peasant Revolution records encompass all records produced by the Joseon government, the Donghak Peasant Army, civilians involved in suppressing the peasant army, and the Japanese consulate during the Donghak Peasant Revolution of 1894. The Donghak Peasant Revolution originated from the economic collapse at the time and the sense of crisis over imperialist invasions. Although it was not successful, it holds global historical significance as an armed struggle by the people to resolve national crises and achieve equality.

The Cultural Heritage Administration stated, "The governance that punished corrupt officials and corrected unjust practices was a fresh experiment in democracy unlike anything else in the world at that time," and added, "The related heritage serves as a repository of memories showing how the people took the initiative to advance history toward universal values such as equality, freedom, human rights, and justice." They emphasized, "It comprehensively presents human rights, equality, and opposition to colonialism from various perspectives beyond time and place."

Appointment Certificate of the Donghak Peasant Army

The Memory of the World program was launched by UNESCO in 1992. It targets materials that transcend national boundaries, have had a significant impact on world history and culture, help understand historical periods, or reflect those periods in a special way. The IAC, the review body, consists of fourteen experts appointed by the UNESCO Secretary-General. At this meeting, out of eighty-eight applications for inscription, sixty-four were recommended for registration.

If both of this year's nominations are inscribed, South Korea will have a total of eighteen Memory of the World heritage items. Previously inscribed records include 'Hunminjeongeum,' 'Annals of the Joseon Dynasty,' 'Seungjeongwon Ilgi,' 'Jikji Simche Yojeol,' 'Haeinsa Temple Tripitaka Koreana and Woodblocks,' 'Joseon Royal Protocols,' 'Donguibogam,' 'Ilseongnok,' 'May 18 Gwangju Uprising Records,' 'Nanjung Ilgi,' 'Saemaul Undong Records,' 'KBS Special Live Broadcast Searching for Separated Families,' 'Korean Confucian Woodblocks,' 'Joseon Royal Seals and Royal Documents,' 'National Debt Repayment Movement Records,' and 'Joseon Tongsinsa Records.'

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