Sacred Trees and Seonang Rocks to Become "Village Treasures"

Cultural Heritage Administration Launches Contest to Discover Non-Designated Natural Heritage

The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on April 30 that it will hold a "National Contest for Village Natural Heritage Basic Resources" from May 1 to July 31.

Village natural heritage refers to natural heritage that embodies the unique historical and symbolic values of a region, but has not been designated as a natural monument and thus falls outside the institutional management system. Examples include village animals such as the dogs of Osu in Imsil, sacred trees or rocks connected to local legends and beliefs, and sites for cultivating local specialty plants.

The Cultural Heritage Administration is preparing a village natural heritage system to provide systematic protection for these non-designated natural heritages and to revitalize local communities. The plan is to support residents in leading the protection and utilization of their natural heritage.

In the first contest held last year, eighty-one entries were received. Among them, five were selected as outstanding resources: the dog of Osu in Imsil, Jeollabuk-do; the ginkgo tree in Haengjeong Village, Goseong, Gyeongsangnam-do; the sacred tree in Eojaewool Village, Cheongyang, Chungcheongnam-do; the Seonang Rock on Songjiho Beach in Goseong, Gangwon-do; and the Yogang Rock in Janggunmok, Sunchang, Jeollabuk-do.

The contest is open to animals, plants, and geological features linked to village legends, folktales, customs, and lifestyles. Based on the contest results, the Cultural Heritage Administration plans to secure and catalog the basic resources of village natural heritage, and to select outstanding resources to develop support measures.

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