Shown above is Hanji, traditional paper. (Korea Heritage Service)

By Oh Jung Eun

The Korea Heritage Service on Nov. 5 said the knowledge, skills and cultural practices related to the production of Hanji (traditional paper) were recommended for inscription as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The committee's evaluation body recommended all 59 applicants reviewed this year including Hanji production for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The deliberation results were categorized as "recommendation for inscription," "referral for additional information" and "not recommended for inscription."

The recommendation is expected to positively impact the final decision at the committee's session this year scheduled from Nov. 30 through Dec. 5 in Xiamen, China.

Korea has 23 items on the UNESCO list, with the most recent addition being the culture of making jang (fermented sauce) in 2024.

The results of the evaluation are in a section on the upcoming session on the committee's website (https://ich.unesco.org/en/21com).

cloveroh@korea.kr