Jinju City Holds Academic Symposium on Promoting Chokseokru to Nationally Designated Cultural Heritage Site

Review and Redefinition of Chokseokru’s Value
Examining the Direction and Feasibility of Promotion

Jinju City in South Gyeongsang Province announced on the 24th that it held an academic symposium at the City Hall Civic Hall on the promotion of Chokseokru in Jinju to a nationally designated cultural heritage site.

The symposium was attended by Jinju Mayor Cho Kyuil, relevant experts, city officials, and citizens. They examined and redefined the academic, scenic, architectural, and historical values of Chokseokru, and discussed the direction and feasibility of its promotion to a nationally designated cultural heritage site.

The event began with opening remarks by Mayor Cho Kyuil, followed by presentations on "A Review of the Direction for Promoting Chokseokru to a Nationally Designated Cultural Heritage Site" and "Restoration Research Based on Newly Discovered Materials." The program continued with expert discussions and a Q&A session with participants.

Photo of the academic symposium on the promotion of Chokseokru in Jinju to a nationally designated cultural heritage site

Song Jihwan, Director of the Gyeongnam Institute of Architectural Cultural Heritage, who gave a presentation at the event, stated, "Chokseokru is a cultural heritage site that embodies long-standing efforts to preserve its original form. We reassessed its value as a tangible cultural heritage in accordance with the national heritage designation criteria and reviewed the specific direction and feasibility of its promotion."

Lee Jaemyung, a research fellow at the Gyeongnam Research Institute, also presented historical evidence, saying, "We analyzed the process of restoring Chokseokru to its original state using official documents and blueprints from the Japanese colonial period and from 1957 to 1960, and based on this, sought grounds to redefine the value of Chokseokru."

Mayor Cho Kyuil remarked, "Among the three great pavilions in Korea, only Chokseokru has not been designated as a national heritage site, which raises concerns about fairness. I am aware that the local community's desire for the promotion of Chokseokru to national heritage status is growing. We will thoroughly research and analyze the materials collected so far and do our utmost to ensure that Chokseokru is promoted to a nationally designated cultural heritage site."

Meanwhile, Chokseokru, located within Jinju Fortress, was designated as a national treasure in 1948 but was delisted after being completely destroyed during the Korean War. Subsequently, restoration efforts led by the Jinju Ancient Relics Preservation Society began in 1956, and with national support and nationwide interest, reconstruction was completed in February 1960. Later, Chokseokru was registered as a cultural heritage material of South Gyeongsang Province on July 20, 1983, and was designated as a tangible cultural heritage of South Gyeongsang Province on June 11, 2020, thus increasing the possibility of its designation as a national heritage site.

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