Baekje Royal Capital Special Act Passes Judiciary Committee... Will Legal Basis for Dedicated Task Force Be Established?

Mandatory Five-Year Comprehensive Plan... Addressing Equity with Silla Royal Capital
Establishment of Promotion Institute in Buyeo and Task Force in Gongju... Awaiting Plenary Approval

Baekje Cultural Festival site.

The "Special Act on the Preservation and Management of Core Heritage Sites of the Baekje Royal Capital," sponsored by Assemblyman Park Soo-hyun of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, passed the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly on the 22nd. The only step remaining is submission and approval at the plenary session.

This bill mandates the Commissioner of the National Heritage Administration to establish a comprehensive plan every five years and creates a legal basis for setting up a dedicated task force within the National Heritage Administration. Currently, the "Baekje Royal Capital Core Heritage Restoration and Maintenance Project" carried out by the National Heritage Administration has been operated by decree without any legal basis, and the dedicated task force was abolished in 2024. The "Baekje Royal Capital Division" within the Ancient City Conservation and Development Team at the National Heritage Administration is now maintained solely by five staff seconded from local governments.

In contrast, the Silla Royal Capital, based on a special law enacted in 2019, has an exclusive team of eleven personnel—seven from the National Heritage Administration and four seconded from local governments—and operates the "Silla Royal Capital Core Heritage Restoration and Maintenance Task Force" under a statutory five-year comprehensive plan.

Assemblyman Park stated, "I aim to address the issue of institutional equity between Baekje and Silla through legislation." He also highlighted the connection to the amended "Act on the Establishment of the National History and Culture Zone Promotion Institute," which passed the National Assembly plenary session last month. He was the sponsor of this bill as well.

The "National History and Culture Zone Promotion Institute," which is highly likely to be established in Buyeo County, South Chungcheong Province, will link and integrate the nine major historical and cultural zones across the country—Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla, Gaya, Mahan, Tamna, Jungwon, Yemaek, and Later Baekje—and systematically utilize investigation and research data. If this bill passes the plenary session, the "Baekje Royal Capital Task Force," which was abolished in 2024, can be reestablished in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province. With the Promotion Institute in Buyeo and the Task Force in Gongju working together, a systematic framework for Baekje cultural projects will be in place.

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