Port Louis, 26 November—The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, meeting in Port Louis (Mauritius), has decided to inscribe traditional Korean wrestling, ssirum/ssireum, on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, on the basis of a joint application by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea.
“The fact that both Koreas accepted to join their respective applications is unprecedented,” declared Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO. “This would not have been possible without great trust in UNESCO on the part of all Korean authorities. The joint inscription marks a highly symbolic step on the road to inter-Korean reconciliation. It reminds us of the peace-building power of cultural heritage, as a bridge between peoples. This marks a victory for the longstanding and profound ties between both sides of the inter-Korean border.”
Traditional Korean wrestling—“Ssirum” in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and “Ssireum” in the Republic of Korea—has deep significance for all Koreans. Fundamentally linked to land and agriculture, it is both a national sport and a very popular cultural practice. Competitions are regularly organized during agricultural events or festivals linked to the cycle of the seasons.
This unprecedented joint inscription was made possible thanks to the common will of the two Koreas—the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea. Following UNESCO’s mediation, they agreed to merge their initially separate applications for the inscription of traditional Korean wrestling on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
This achievement follows on the Director-General’s visit to the Republic of Korea last June and her meeting with President Moon Jae-in last month in Paris. During that meeting, Ms Azoulay proposed a series of concrete projects involving UNESCO that would facilitate inter-Korean reconciliation. Similar discussions also took place over recent weeks with the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea. The commitment of UNESCO to facilitate peace between the two parties has led to the joint inscription in a short timeframe.
UNESCO Beijing Cluster Office has been supporting the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s endeavor to safeguard its Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) through a series of capacity-building activities since 2011, including a National Safeguarding Awareness-Raising in 2011, a Training Workshop on the Implementation of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the ICH in 2013, and a Training Workshop on Community-Based Inventorying of ICH in 2016. The most recent activity was the Training Workshop on Community-Based Inventorying of ICH and Elaborating Nomination Files held last month (link), in which we refreshed participants’ knowledge on ICH inventorying and raised their capacities in preparing nomination files for UNESCO’s Representative List of the ICH of Humanity.
UNESCO will continue to work on concrete projects with the authorities of both countries towards reconciliation on the Korean peninsula, through culture, education and the sciences. These sectors, at the heart of UNESCO’s mandate, are essential foundations for lasting peace.
史无前例!朝韩申遗合并,传统摔跤希日木列入非遗名录
“迈向朝韩和解的极具象征意义一步,彰显文化遗产在和平建设上的力量” / "A highly symbolic step towards inter-Korean reconciliation, that reminds us of the peace-building power of cultural heritage"
基于朝鲜和韩国的联合申请,正在毛里求斯首都路易港召开的保护非物质文化遗产政府间委员会会议决定,将朝鲜族传统摔跤“希日木”列入《人类非物质文化遗产代表作名录》。
“朝韩同意将各自单独提出的申请予以合并,这是史无前例的。” 教科文组织总干事奥德蕾·阿祖莱表示,“如果没有韩朝双方对教科文组织的高度信任,联合申遗不可能实现。 联合申遗是迈向朝韩和解的极具象征意义的一步,彰显了文化遗产在和平建设上的力量。文化遗产是人民之间的桥梁。这是韩朝边境两侧悠久而深厚的关系的一次胜利。”
朝鲜族传统摔跤“希日木”/ Traditional Korean wrestling © KANG Sang Ho, journalist of Korean National Heritage Preservation Agency, DPRK, 2017
“希日木”亦被称为“朝鲜摔跤”或“韩式摔跤”,对朝韩人民来说都具有重要意义。它与土地和农业文化息息相关,既是一项民族运动,也是一种非常受欢迎的文化习俗。人们会在与季节周期有关的农业活动或节日中定期开展比赛。
这一史无前例的联合申遗能够实现,得益于朝韩双方的共同意愿。在教科文组织的协调下,双方同意合并此前各自提出的申遗申请。
邮票上的朝鲜族传统摔跤 / Traditional Korean wrestling on a stamp © Korea Post
这是继总干事今年6月访问韩国以及10月在巴黎与韩国总统文在寅会面以来的又一成果。在巴黎会见中,阿祖莱女士提出了一系列与教科文组织相关、有利于推动朝韩和解的具体合作项目。同时,总干事在过去几周亦与朝鲜方面开展了类似沟通。教科文组织推动朝鲜半岛和平的坚定决心使得联合申遗得以在短时间内成为现实。
11月23日,朝鲜代表团与联合国教科文组织驻华代表处的工作人员会面,随后前往参加毛里求斯路易港参加“保护非物质文化遗产政府间委员会第十三届会议” /On 23 Nov, the DPRK delegation met with staff of UNESCO Beijing Cluster Office before their trip to the 13th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. © UNESCO Beijing
自2011年以来,联合国教科文组织驻华代表处一直通过开展能力建设来帮助朝鲜保护其非物质文化遗产,包括2011年在朝鲜举办的非遗保护意识提升,2013年的《保护非物质文化遗产公约》实施培训,和2016年的以社区为基础的非遗清点培训。最近的一次活动是于十月在朝鲜举办的“以社区为基础的非遗清点和提名文件培训工作坊”(详情链接),在这次培训中,参与者们对非遗清点有了更新的认识,他们准备联合国教科文组织《人类非物质文化遗产代表名录》提名文件的能力也获得了提升。
今年十月,联合国教科文组织驻华代表处在朝鲜举办“以社区为基础的非遗清点和提名文件培训工作坊” / Training Workshop on Community-Based Inventorying of ICH and Elaborating Nomination Files organized by UNESCO Beijing in October 2018. ©National Authority for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of DPRK
教科文组织将立足于具体项目,继续与两国政府加强合作,通过文化、教育和科学促进朝鲜半岛和解。 这些领域是教科文组织宗旨的核心,也是持久和平的重要基础。
(출처 : 联合国教科文组织 北京 2018.11.27)