[Global NK Commentary] The Significance and Impact of North Korea's UNESCO World Heritage Registration

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1. Registration of Mount Kumgang as a World Heritage Site

Mount Kumgang, a symbol of inter-Korean exchange, is one of the representative mountains of the Korean Peninsula. In 2025, North Korea registered Mount Kumgang, including its nature and culture, as a 'UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage.' This marks the third UNESCO World Heritage registration for North Korea, following the Goguryeo Tombs in 2004 and the Kaesong Historical Area in 2013.

The tombs of King Dongmyeong and the Goguryeo tombs, along with the Kaesong Historical Area, have been recognized as global heritage based on the history of the nation. In contrast, Mount Kumgang is a case recognized as a World Heritage site due to its natural environment and cultural heritage associated with it. Mount Kumgang was registered as a biosphere reserve in 2018. In 2025, in addition to its natural heritage, the Buddhist culture of Mount Kumgang, temples and hermitages, as well as the complex cultural and artistic values of paintings and poetry themed around Mount Kumgang, were globally recognized.

The registration of Mount Kumgang as a World Heritage site cannot simply be evaluated as a natural outcome due to its exceptional natural environment and cultural heritage. It is the result of North Korea's active policy to align with the criteria set by UNESCO for World Heritage registration. Since 2012, North Korea has been actively discovering national heritage (historical heritage, natural heritage, intangible cultural heritage), registering and managing it as national heritage, and promoting UNESCO registration for outstanding national heritage.

2. North Korea's Cultural Heritage Protection Policy

The protection of national culture has been a cultural policy task that has continued from the early days of the North Korean regime to the present. The goal of North Korea's cultural policy is the 'construction of socialist national culture.' This aims to develop a culture with national characteristics while maintaining the socialist system. The protection of national cultural heritage is based on the principles of 'Juche, historicism, and scientificity,' and aims to develop it 'in accordance with socialist realities.'

The preservation and continuation of the nation's excellent culture has been regarded as an achievement of Kim Il-sung. The flow of national cultural tradition as claimed by North Korea can be summarized as follows: Our nation established a centralized state based on strong royal authority since the Gojoseon period and developed an excellent national culture over a long history. National culture faced a complete disruption due to the policy of cultural annihilation during the Japanese colonial period. In this crisis, Kim Il-sung preserved national culture, allowing it to develop again in the new era. North Korea's national culture policy has served as a basis for supporting the regime's legitimacy in the context of the division of the North and South.

North Korea's national culture protection policy differentiates between tangible (material) cultural heritage and intangible (non-material) cultural heritage. For cultural heritage with a physical form, such as palaces, fortresses, pagodas, and books, the basic principle is to excavate and preserve the original form. In contrast, for cultural heritage such as traditional music or dance like <Arirang>, and myths, the focus is on modernizing and continuing them rather than preserving them in their original form. This is because there is a caution against remaining in the past or overvaluing it while continuing the tradition of national culture. This method of transmission differs from South Korea's principle of preserving intangible cultural heritage in its original form.

The first regulation defining cultural heritage protection after liberation was the 'Decree on the Preservation of Treasures, Historical Sites, Scenic Spots, and Natural Monuments' announced by the Provisional People's Committee in 1946. However, the first law specifically addressing the excavation and protection of national culture was not established until 1994. This was a considerable time after the establishment of the North Korean regime. Policies related to the preservation of national culture from 1946 to 1994 were conducted under the local guidance and directives of the supreme leader. The enactment of the 'Cultural Relics Protection Law' in 1994 marked the beginning of legal protection for national culture. As indicated by the name of the law, the 'Cultural Relics Protection Law' was composed of content concerning 'relics.' This law was amended to the 'Cultural Heritage Protection Law' in 2012, marking the beginning of the Kim Jong-un era. 'Cultural heritage' now includes 'intangible cultural heritage' in addition to the previously protected 'tangible cultural heritage.' Items that were subjects of transmission but not legally protected, such as 'legends or folktales,' 'traditional arts,' 'folk games,' and 'traditional medicine,' also became subjects of protection.

The 'Cultural Heritage Protection Law' was replaced by the 'National Heritage Protection Law' in 2015. The impetus for enacting the 'Cultural Heritage Protection Law' was a speech by Kim Jong-un. On October 24, 2014, regarding national heritage, Kim Jong-un issued a speech titled, 'The National Heritage Protection Project is a Patriotic Endeavor that Illuminates Our Nation's History and Tradition.' This was a dialogue shared with responsible officials of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party to commemorate Kim Jong-il's local guidance at the Dangun Tomb 20 years prior.

This document became the standard for national heritage policy in the Kim Jong-un era. The essence of what Kim Jong-un emphasized is that the 'national heritage protection project' is a 'patriotic endeavor to uphold and illuminate the history and tradition of the nation.' Kim Jong-un directed that the national cultural heritage protection project should proceed with specific principles and directions. One of these is the exchange with foreign and international organizations and the UNESCO registration of world cultural heritage.

Based on Kim Jong-un's speech, the newly enacted 'National Heritage Protection Law' included natural heritage in addition to the tangible and intangible cultural heritage defined in the 'National Heritage Protection Law.' All cultural and natural heritage of the nation was explicitly designated as subjects of legal protection.

The 'National Heritage Protection Law' enacted in 2015 was amended on November 24, 2018. The amended regulations specified that national heritage includes 'material heritage,' 'intangible heritage,' and 'natural heritage' (Article 3 Classification of National Heritage).

Furthermore, the law stipulated international exchange of national heritage and UNESCO registration. Regarding international exchange, Article 9 (Exchange and Cooperation in National Heritage Protection) states, 'We will initiate exchanges and cooperation with other countries and international organizations.' Regarding world heritage registration, Article 30 (World Heritage Registration of National Heritage) stipulates that the central national heritage protection guidance institution must 'prospectively carry out plans for registering outstanding national heritage as world heritage.' Article 33 (Historical Site Protection Areas) states, 'In cases where historical sites are registered as world heritage, the historical site protection area shall be determined in accordance with the requirements of the relevant international conventions.'

It has been stipulated that the excavation and protection of national culture should not be confined within North Korea but should actively promote exchanges with other countries or international organizations, pursue UNESCO registration in accordance with international conventions, and implement protective measures that meet the standards required by international conventions.

3. Promotion of UNESCO Registration and the Identity of National Culture

Concrete projects have been carried out in line with the active excavation of national heritage and UNESCO registration. First, a listing project for national heritage to be protected was initiated. With the enactment of the 'Cultural Heritage Protection Law' in 2012, the 'intangible cultural heritage' that needed protection was divided into 'national intangible cultural heritage' and 'local intangible cultural heritage' for listing.

In August 2012, the folk song <Arirang> was registered as the first item in the 'Domestic List of Intangible National Heritage,' followed by the 'Kimchi Making Tradition (No. 2),' 'Makgeolli Brewing (No. 3),' 'Soy Sauce Making (No. 4),' and 'Joseon Chima Jeogori Tradition (No. 5).' Subsequently, the scope of intangible cultural heritage was expanded to include 'traditional medicine,' 'folktales,' and others.

Notable among the national intangible cultural heritage is food culture. Items such as 'Kimchi Making,' 'Makgeolli Brewing,' 'Soy Sauce Making,' 'Pyongyang Cold Noodles,' 'Mugwort Rice Cake Making,' 'Lentil Pancake Tradition,' 'Spicy Pollack Soup,' 'Sungnyung,' 'Ogalpi Brewing Method,' 'Dangun Brewing Technique,' and 'Gondeongi Jeot Making' have been registered. Additionally, 'Ginseng Cultivation,' 'Sledding,' 'Silk Production Techniques,' 'Yun Tying,' 'Top Spinning,' and 'Najeon Craft' have also been designated.

Some of the national intangible cultural heritage has been registered as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage. Until the Kim Jong-un era, North Korea had not paid much attention to international exchanges of national culture or UNESCO registration. Prior to 2012, the only national heritage registered with UNESCO was the 'Goguryeo Tombs' registered in 2004. Including natural heritage, there were only four sites: 'Baekdu Mountain' (1989), 'Guwol Mountain' (2004), and 'Myohyang Mountain' (2009).

However, since the beginning of the Kim Jong-un regime, the number of UNESCO registrations has significantly increased. The current status of North Korea's UNESCO registrations is as follows.

First, there are world heritage sites. Following the Goguryeo Tombs in 2004, the 'Kaesong Historical Area' was registered as the second UNESCO cultural heritage in 2013. In 2025, Mount Kumgang was registered as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

Second, there are intangible cultural heritage items. Five items have been registered: 'Arirang Folk Song (2014),' 'Kimchi Making Tradition (2015),' 'Ssireum (2018),' 'Pyongyang Cold Noodle Tradition (2022),' and 'Joseon Clothing Tradition; Traditional Knowledge, Techniques, and Social Customs (2024).' Ssireum was initially submitted separately by both North and South Korea but was jointly registered in 2018 at UNESCO's recommendation.

Third, there are world documentary heritage items. Two items are 'Muye Dobo Tongji (2017)' and 'Honcheonjeondo (2023).'

Fourth, there are biosphere reserves. There are five areas: 'Baekdu Mountain (1989),' 'Guwol Mountain (2004),' 'Myohyang Mountain (2009),' 'Chilbo Mountain (2014),' and 'Mount Kumgang (2018).' 'Baekdu Mountain' was designated as a biosphere reserve in 1989 and was recognized as a Global Geopark at the 221st meeting of the UNESCO Executive Board in 2025.

Since the Kim Jong-un era, North Korea has actively promoted the excavation and protection of national heritage and the registration of world heritage. The national heritage protection law has been refined, and there is active engagement in excavation and preservation through exhibitions and competitions. Furthermore, efforts are being made to align with the regulations required by UNESCO for registration.

The excavation of national heritage and UNESCO registration appear to be intended to instill cultural pride and patriotism among the people in line with the 'Era of Prioritizing Our Nation.' On the other hand, it is a process to gain international recognition for the identity of national culture.

The North and South share a commonality as the Korean people with a long history and ethnicity. However, there are differences in interpretation and meaning regarding the shared national culture. The differences in perception and interpretation of national heritage were also confirmed through the joint registration of Ssireum as a UNESCO World Heritage.

In March 2015, North Korea first applied for UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity under the title 'Ssireum.' UNESCO requested supplementary information regarding North Korea's application, and North Korea revised and resubmitted the application in March 2017. In the meantime, South Korea submitted a separate application for 'Ssireum' in March 2016.

The application submitted by South Korea emphasized the regional community and lifestyle of Ssireum, as well as community participation, while North Korea's application emphasized national tradition and the system of inheritance and dissemination at the state level. For this reason, UNESCO initially planned to review North and South Ssireum as separate cultural heritages. However, UNESCO ultimately judged that the Ssireum from both North and South were essentially the same cultural heritage in terms of 'transmission methods, social functions, and communal significance.' With the onset of 2018, as inter-Korean relations moved towards reconciliation, UNESCO accepted this view and registered it as a joint heritage.

The national culture registered by North Korea as a UNESCO World Heritage is a cultural heritage shared by both North and South, like 'Ssireum.' North Korea's active push for UNESCO registration has become a process of redefining the identity of the shared national culture and affirming its nationality. ■

■ Jeon Young-sun_Professor at the Institute of Humanities, Konkuk University.

■ Responsible and edited by: Lee Sang-jun_EAI Researcher; Oh In-hwan_Senior Researcher at EAI

    Contact: 02 2277 1683 (ext. 211) | leesj@eai.or.kr