▲This photo, provided by Yonhap News Agency, shows Eugene jo, Dr, Ndoro, and Chung Yong-jae. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

▲This photo, provided by Yonhap News Agency, shows Chung Yong-jae (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

 

▲This photo, provided by Yonhap News Agency, shows Eugene jo. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, October 17 (Yonhap) -- Many people may have heard of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, but the international organization "ICCROM" seems unfamiliar. 

The full name of the organization is the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, and the organization is considered one of the best international organizations in the field of preservation and restoration of cultural heritage. It is an intergovernmental organization that appeared in 1959, according to the resolution of the 9th UNESCO General Assembly in 1956. 

It is currently playing various roles, such as collecting information related to the preservation and restoration of cultural heritage and providing educational programs to 137 member countries. 

There are strong supporters working in this organization with a history of more than 60 years and who add support to Korea's cultural heritage management and policy, and they are Eugene Jo, ICCROM's World Heritage Leadership Program Manager, and Chung Yong-jae, Professor at Korea National University of Cultural Heritage and Director of ICCROM. 

Manager Eugene Jo is the only Korean employee at ICCROM's headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Manager Eugene Jo, who worked at the Cultural Heritage Administration for over ten years and worked tirelessly to list the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, Namhanseong Fortress, Baekje Historic Areas, and other sites as World Heritage Sites, entered ICCROM in 2017, beating out stiff competition.Eugene Jo was the first Korean working as a Secretariat General.

Manager Jo, said during the interview with Yonhap News Agency, "I am still the only Korean employee," and added, "During the past five years I worked at ICCROM, I always thought about the preservation and management of world heritage and tried my best to fill in the blank spaces." 

The World Leadership Program (WLP), which Manager Jo is taking charge of, is one of the main programs of ICCROM. 

Manager Jo introduced, "This is a program that allows managers who manage world heritage in the field to establish a framework for overall preservation management, such as why this heritage is important and what the legal framework is to protect it."

She mentioned the educational program which was held in Korea in August and said, "21 people from different countries attended the program at the time, and if this continues for five years, it is going to be 100 people." and emphasized the meaning of the program, "It means that a network to communicate with the managers of one-tenth of the World Heritage sites will be established." 

She said, "There is no correct answer in preserving and managing, but what important is the flexibility, how effective the response can be made in the given system and condition. I hope we can get evaluated that we have helped in expanding participants, not only experts," showing that they still have a long way to go.

Professor Chung Yong-jae, dean of education and professor of heritage conservation and restoration at Korea National University of Cultural Heritage, has been an ICCROM council member since 2015.

The council members of ICCROM consist of 25 people, and they are in charge of the development and operation of the program and evaluation of business accomplishments. They become candidates based on their individual qualifications, but prior approval from the national government is required, so they are also considered national representatives.

Professor Chung Yong-jae explained, "ICCROM is a world organization where technology and technique to preserve and restore world heritage and experience are united," and added, "We have everyone, including experts, researchers in the field of heritage management, students, and citizens." 

Professor Chung announced that he is planning to create a new program with ICCROM and the school. 

He said, "Japan and China have been developing and operating content concentrating on their nation's cultural heritage. For example, the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties has been taking 2–3 weeks in order to educate and familiarize the Conservation of Japanese Paper to experts in the field of conservation in the whole world. 

He added, "We are reviewing an educational course that we will be able to inform and share the value of Korea’s cultural heritage with experts from different countries." We are planning on our process to collaborate with different departments to make intangible cultural heritage tangible and digital. 

Professor Chung Yong-jae, who retires next year, laughed while saying, "You can be a council member of ICCROM twice, each for four years. It is a good program, and I will actively participate if we can share our experience and technology. " 

The two people said the same thing, emphasizing the importance of the cooperation network and that the government has to emphasize more on human relationships and dispatch. 

Japan has been sending a representative of the cultural heritage field once every two years, and it has been 20 years since they started that. China had been sending their people as well before the COVID-19 situation, but Korea never had the chance. 

Professor Chung said, "'Manpower is still important even though it is currently a digital generation," and added, "I hope the Cultural Heritage Administration, the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, and more organizations could play roles in the global community by sending people to places, understanding the current trends in the world." 

Manager Cho also said, "Just 10 people who came from Japan has been an important network in the field of cultural heritage," adding, "I hope that various Korean heritage managers will actively participate internationally." 

Manager Cho also gave advice on Korea's cultural heritage management policy. 

She said, "When listing the heritage, we usually concentrate on how special and different it is from other places, but after listing it, they have the same preservation method." She suggested, "A specific approach is needed." 


(This article is translated from Korean to English by Dowon Kim,)

 

 

 

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]