North Korea is on track to have North Korea Taekwondo inscribed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity this year.
According to UNESCO on November 5, the evaluation body under the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage has issued a recommendation for the inscription of the ‘Traditional Martial Art of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – Taekwondo,’ making its listing virtually certain. If inscribed, Taekwondo will become North Korea’s sixth intangible cultural heritage, following ‘Arirang,’ ‘Kimchi-making,’ ‘Ssireum (jointly inscribed by North and South Korea),’ ‘Pyongyang Naengmyeon,’ and ‘Choson-style Clothing Customs.’ The final decision regarding this year’s inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity will be made at the 21st session of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee, held in Xiamen, China, from the 30th of this month to December 5.
When North Korea submitted its application for the solo inscription of Taekwondo in 2024, the South Korean government submitted its own application belatedly in March, raising hopes for a joint inscription. However, the joint bid has effectively fallen through. Consequently, any future efforts to achieve an expanded or separate listing for Taekwondo are expected to require considerable time and effort. An expanded listing involves altering the scope of an already inscribed heritage and requires consultations with the stakeholder nations.
Under the ‘Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage’ adopted in UNESCO in 2003, member states’ intangible cultural heritages are inscribed on the representative list to maintain cultural diversity and creativity. South Korea, classified alongside countries like China and France as a nation possessing a high number of intangible cultural heritage elements, undergoes inscription reviews every two years.
