National Heritage Administration to Document Life Histories of the Elderly in Regions at Risk of Local Extinction

100 Young Researchers to Record Oral Histories
Webtoons and Short-Form Content Production Planned for Second Half of the Year

The National Heritage Administration announced on the 20th that it will conduct a basic survey of intangible heritage knowledge resources to document the lives of the elderly in regions at risk of local extinction.

On-site training session for the preliminary survey of K Intangible Cultural Heritage knowledge resources.

This year marks the launch of the project, in which young and university student researchers in the field of intangible heritage will visit elderly residents aged 75 to 90 in these areas to record oral histories about their life stages—including birth, marriage, funerals, and ancestral rites—as well as subsistence activities such as hunting, gathering, and fishing. More than 100 members from research teams at ten universities nationwide—including Seoul National University, Kangwon National University, Chungnam National University, Korea National University of Transportation, Chungbuk National University, Chonnam National University, Mokpo National University, Gyeongsang National University, and Jeju National University—are participating.

In the second half of the year, the project will involve the production of digital content such as webtoons and short-form videos, and a competition will be held among the research teams. The collected materials will be managed as future intangible heritage and also serve as foundational resources for K-culture.

At the training session held on May 16 at the Doosan Humanities Hall of Seoul National University, the National Heritage Administration explained the project’s background and significance, while the Korean Folklore Society outlined its direction and framework. The session continued with lectures by Professor Yoo Hyungdong of Hanshin University on ethics and personal information protection; Researcher Park Jongseon of the Chungbuk History and Culture Research Institute on oral life history case studies; and Professor Lee Hyunjung of Korea National University of Transportation on standards for field documentation and data management.

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