National Heritage Administration Selects 379 Programs for "Our Hometown National Heritage Utilization" Project

24 More Projects Than Last Year, Including 135 "Vivid National Heritage" Programs

National Heritage Night Tour Project 'Iksan Baekje National Heritage Night Tour (Iksan-si, Jeonbuk)'

The National Heritage Administration announced on September 12 that it has selected 379 programs for next year's "Our Hometown National Heritage Utilization Project." The breakdown includes 135 "Vivid National Heritage" projects, 95 "Confucian School and Seowon Utilization" projects, 55 "National Heritage Night Tour" projects, 46 "Traditional Mountain Temple Utilization" projects, and 48 "Old Houses and Head Family Utilization" projects.

This initiative aims to expand cultural enjoyment opportunities for the public and revitalize local economies by combining cultural, natural, and intangible heritage across the country with regional resources. It began in 2008 with the "Vivid National Heritage" project and has since expanded to include "Confucian School and Seowon" in 2014, "Night Tour" in 2016, "Traditional Mountain Temple" in 2017, and "Old Houses and Head Family" in 2020.

Vivid National Heritage Project: "Protect the Nation! Wolwolicheongcheong, Park Uijang, General Shin (Yeongdeok County, Gyeongsangbuk-do)"

This year, the selection process was also conducted through a public offering by local governments. Out of 593 submissions, 379 programs were finalized-24 more than last year-after evaluating the relevance of the content, operational capacity, and appropriateness of budget allocation. A representative from the National Heritage Administration stated, "We have increased the budget to expand both the number of operations and their scale," and added, "We aim to make national heritage a core asset for regional development, respond to the crisis of population decline, and contribute to community recovery."

Among the newly added "Vivid National Heritage" programs are "Seeping Village, Ganghwa Yusubu" in Ganghwa, Incheon, and "The Path of Danjae, Standing Upon It" in Jung-gu, Daejeon, totaling 32 new projects. For "Confucian School and Seowon Utilization," 11 new programs have been included, such as "Hwanggan Hyanggyo: Taste, Style, and Elegance" in Yeongdong, Chungbuk, and "Gimsan Uijin: The Living Breath of Scholars" in Gimcheon, Gyeongbuk.

Silsangsa Temple 'Millennium Fragrance (Namwon City, Jeonbuk)' as part of the Traditional Mountain Temple National Heritage Utilization Project

In the "National Heritage Night Tour" category, 11 new projects will debut, including "Walking Night Museum" in Jeongseon, Gangwon, and "The Scent of Scholars, Blooming as a Lotus" in Jeongeup, Jeonbuk. For "Traditional Mountain Temple Utilization," nine new programs will be introduced, such as "Why Geumdangsa Came East" in Geumdangsa Temple, Jinan, Jeonbuk, and "Gwangheungsa: Embracing and Spreading Hangeul" in Gwangheungsa Temple, Andong, Gyeongbuk. In the "Old Houses and Head Family Utilization" category, eight new projects have been added, including "The 600-Year Head Family Story - Nokudang Literary Journey" in Haenam, Jeonnam, and "The Historic House of Cho Deoksu: Moonlight Sonata on the Namhan River" in Danyang, Chungbuk.

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