• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.146-165
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• 2016

With the introduction of the system of recognizing masters of craft and performance skills in 1970, the principle of "preserving the original form," which was already in general use, was adopted as a legal principle in the Cultural Heritage Protection Act. While the concept "original form" can be related to tangible elements of heritage through the Act, the intangibility of craft and performance skills does not allow their pinpointing at a particular temporal period or the identification of a particular master from the past as the basis of an original form. Therefore, those craft or performance skills that are available at the point of recognition of relevant masters must serve as the basis of the original form for the intangible heritage concerned. This means that the principle of preserving the original form of intangible heritage has been implemented not based on a fundamental form of materiality, but rather on the craft or performance skills that may be held by a master at the time of his/her recognition as a "temporary original form." This principle has been observed through intangible heritage transmission and education policies for recognized masters and their trainees, contributing to establish an elitist transmission environment in which public were denied to join the education on intangible heritage. Even with policies guided by the principle of preserving the original form, designated craft and performance skills have been transformed contingent upon given social and environmental conditions, thus hindering the preservation of the original form. Despite the intrinsic limitations of the principle of preserving the original form when applied to intangible heritage, this principle has served as a practical guideline for protecting traditional Korean culture from external influences such as modernization and Westernization, and also as an ultimate goal for the safeguarding of intangible heritage, engendering actual policy effects. The Act on the Safeguarding and Promotion of Intangible Cultural Heritage that comes into effect in March 2016 takes the constantly evolving nature of intangible heritage into consideration and resultantly adopts a concept of "essential form" (jeonhyeong) in place of "original form" (wonhyeong). This new concept allows for any transformations that may take place in the environment surrounding the intangible heritage concerned, and is intended to mitigate the rigidity of the concept of "original form." However, it should be noted that "essential form," which is manifested as the unique significance, knowledge, and skills delivered by the intangible heritage concerned, should be maintained according to the guidelines and principles related to heritage conservation. Therefore, the new concept can be understood not as a rupture, but more as a continuum of the concept of "original form."

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.32-47
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to examine the vegetation maintenance project that was conducted as a part of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) project for the historic site of Angkor, to analyze the aspects and characteristics of the project, and to derive implications for the establishment of future policies and strategies. First, the key words used in the vegetation maintenance project at the historic site of Angkor do not only refer to the concept of plants (and more specifically to 'trees') but also to the concept of heritage. In other words, the concept of heritage is not limited to architectural structures but is also intended to mean the vegetation and surroundings that form the historic site. Second, the expansion of the value of vegetation has contributed to the establishment of the basic principles of conservation based on the 'coexistence' between architectural structures and vegetation; here, vegetation has come to be recognized as an 'essential' element in the conservation of historic sites. Third, the range of vegetation maintenance has expanded from each tree to the surroundings of the temples, and vegetation maintenance came to adopt 'integrative' and 'active' directions to improve not only the growth environment of the vegetation but also the viewing environment experienced by visitors. This change means that it is necessary for the historic site maintenance project to comprehensively deal with the temples and their surrounding areas. Fourth, for the effective performance of the ODA project, the role of the International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC-Angkor), under the influence of UNESCO, was expanded from an examination of the problems with the existing projects to a search for solutions to technical consultation and supervision. This implies that, in order to perform the ODA project in a way that is appropriate to the local conditions, it is important to reach gradual and phased agreements with ICC-Angkor.