Showcasing Baekje culture, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015

The Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles (KCCLA, Director Haedon Lee), in collaboration with the Chungnam Institute of History and Culture (Director Nak-jung Kim), opened the special exhibition Baekje: Korea’s Hidden Cultural Heritage — From Baekje to the Present on Thursday, June 26, and it is currently on view.

This exhibition, the first of its kind in the United States dedicated to Baekje culture, comprehensively introduces both tangible and intangible cultural heritage representing Chungcheongnam-do. It showcases the artistic world of the ancient Baekje Kingdom, media art capturing the four seasons of Chungcheongnam-do, traditional textiles, sculptures, and creative works inspired by intangible cultural assets, attracting great interest from local audiences.

The opening ceremony was attended by more than 300 guests, including Nak-jung Kim, Director of the Chungnam Institute of History and Culture; Kyung-bok Lee, Director of the Chungcheongnam-do Museum of History; members of the Naepo Sculptors Association; representatives of intangible heritage organizations; Youngwan Kim, Consul General of Korea in Los Angeles; Purnomo Chandra, Consul General of Indonesia; among many other distinguished figures from the local cultural and arts community.

The opening event included a special lecture introducing the excellence of Baekje culture, a celebratory performance integrating traditional arts from Chungcheongnam-do, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and guided exhibition tours.

The exhibition has been praised as an important opportunity to present the rarely seen Baekje culture and the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Chungcheongnam-do to American audiences. It also effectively promotes the historical significance and value of Baekje artifacts and sites, which were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage in 2015.

The exhibition runs through August 4 on the first and second floors of the Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles.