North Korea is expected to secure the inclusion of the Korean martial art taekwondo on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list this year.
The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage's evaluation body recommended Thursday that North Korea's nomination be inscribed on the list.
Huh Min, head of the Korea Heritage Service, had hinted at the announcement on Monday in a post on his social media channel.
The UNESCO committee, which makes the final decisions on inscriptions, reviews nominations submitted by member states through an evaluation body composed of intangible heritage experts and representatives of nongovernmental organizations.
After examining each nomination, the evaluation body issues one of three recommendations: to "inscribe" a nomination, to "refer" it for additional information or to "not inscribe" it. Such recommendations are rarely overturned by the committee.
North Korea submitted its nomination, titled "Taekwon-Do, Traditional Martial Art in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," in March 2024.
South Korea filed its own nomination this year after considering the possibility of a joint inscription with the North. The Korea Heritage Service said in its major policy plans for this year that it would pursue a joint inscription of taekwondo by the two Koreas. A South Korean inclusion could still go ahead even if Pyongyang's listing is confirmed.
The final decision is expected at the committee's 21st session, scheduled for December in Xiamen, China.
hwangdh@heraldcorp.com
