A Comprehensive Hub for Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage
to Be Established in Europe
- The Korea Heritage Service and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation to Open a Local Office in Paris (Opening Ceremony to Be Held on September 17) -
The Korea Heritage Service (Administrator: Choi Eung-Chon), in collaboration with the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation (Chair: Kim Junghee; hereafter the OKCHF), will establish a European office in Paris to strengthen the research and utilization of Korean cultural heritage housed in Europe.
The European office of the OKCHF will commence operations starting with an opening ceremony in France on September 17. Starting in October this year, it will be conducting surveys and research on old Korean maps held at the Bibliothèque nationale de France. In addition, the office will serve as a comprehensive local base for the research and utilization of Korean cultural heritage in collaboration with institutions holding such heritage in France and in other countries including the United Kingdom and Germany.
The OKCHF also operates overseas offices in Japan and the United States (established in 2013 and 2016, respectively). Given the numerous Korean cultural heritage items housed in Europe and the growing interest in Korean culture and Korean studies in the region, the need for a local hub in Europe has been consistently recognized.
* Status of Korean cultural heritage in Europe (as of 2024): Approximately 49,161 items
Paris is home to UNESCO headquarters as well as major institutions holding Korean cultural heritage such as the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and the Musée Guimet. The establishment of the European office of the OKCHF is expected to boost the cooperative relationships with these local institutions and allow more effective responses to international issues related to cultural heritage.
Through their new European hub, the Korea Heritage Service and the OKCHF will continue to strengthen the local cooperative network and their efforts to ensure that precious Korean cultural heritage is better preserved, utilized overseas, and repatriated to Korea when needed.