Classic Films Including "The Housemaid" and "Seongchunhyang" Designated as National Registered Cultural Heritage

Four Classic Korean Films and Chilgok Old Waegwan Catholic Church
Designated as National Registered Cultural Heritage

Films that offer a glimpse into Korean society and everyday life in the 1950s and 1960s, along with a chapel in Chilgok, North Gyeongsang Province that has stood for 96 years, will now be managed as National Registered Cultural Heritage.

Movie Still from "The Housemaid"
[Photo by Korean Film Archive]

On February 13, the National Heritage Administration announced that it has designated four films-"Nakdong River," "Money," "The Housemaid," and "Seongchunhyang," all held by the Korean Film Archive-as well as the "Chilgok Old Waegwan Catholic Church" in Waegwan-eup, Chilgok, as National Registered Cultural Heritage.

Produced in 1952, "Nakdong River" depicts the story of a protagonist who, after graduating from college, returns to the Nakdong River basin and strives to enlighten the villagers and create a better community. Director Jeon Changgeun, who was also active as an actor, vividly conveys the realities of war at the time through scenes of the Nakdong River Battle that took place in August and September 1950.

Directed by Kim Sodong and released in 1958, "Money" is a work that candidly exposes rural issues of the era, such as usury and rampant fraudsters, through the experiences of its honest farmer protagonist. The film realistically and tragically portrays the harsh realities of rural life during the transition to an industrial society, earning recognition as a representative work of Korean realist cinema.

Directed by Kim Ki-young and released in 1960, "The Housemaid" explores the dynamics between a middle-class family and a housemaid who aspires to climb the social ladder. The film is acclaimed as a landmark in Korean cinema, as Kim's distinctive style brings to life the desires, oppression, fear, and anxiety that characterized the tensions and contradictions of Korean society at the time.

Movie poster of Seongchunhyang
Photo by Korean Film Archive

Released in 1961 and directed by Shin Sang-ok, "Seongchunhyang" is Korea's first color CinemaScope film, featuring vivid colors and a wide screen made possible by special lenses. The film achieved remarkable box office success in the 1960s and was also submitted to international film festivals.

A National Heritage Administration official stated, "Each of these works reflects the social conditions and lifestyles of Korea's modern and contemporary periods. They will serve as valuable materials to widely promote the significance of Korean cinema to future generations."

This is not the first time Korean films have been designated as National Registered Cultural Heritage. Previously, eight films-including "Crossroads of Youth" (1934), "Sweet Dream" (1936), "Hurrah! For Freedom" (1946), "The Prosecutor and the Teacher" (1948), "Hometown of the Heart" (1949), "Piagol" (1955), "Madame Freedom" (1956), and "The Wedding Day" (1956)-were recognized for their cultural value.

The Chilgok Old Waegwan Catholic Church is affiliated with the Waegwan Abbey of the Order of Saint Benedict. Built in 1928 when the Gasil mission station, the first Catholic parish in North Gyeongsang, was elevated to parish status, the chapel has retained its original form to this day. In Catholic terms, a parish church is where the resident priest is stationed, while a mission station is a smaller unit without a resident priest. A National Heritage Administration official explained, "The tall spire and semi-circular arched windows are characteristic features of church architecture."

Chilgok Old Waegwan Catholic Church
Photo by National Heritage Administration

This building also embodies the history of the Benedictine monastery. The Benedictine Order, which follows the teachings of Saint Benedict, an Italian cleric, is said to have established a foothold in the Chilgok area during the Korean War while conducting missionary work in Korea. The monastery they established while taking refuge has since evolved into today's Waegwan Abbey of Saint Benedict. This building is considered indispensable in recounting that history. A National Heritage Administration official commented, "It preserves both the history of Catholicism's spread in North Gyeongsang and its original architectural form, making it highly valuable both historically and architecturally."

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