Experts from Korea, China, and Japan gather to discuss ways to globalize Korean traditional landscaping

The National Heritage Administration (Director Choi Eung-cheon) will hold an international academic conference to discuss strategies for globalizing Korean traditional landscaping with traditional garden experts from Korea, China, and Japan at 1:00 PM on October 23rd at the National Palace Museum of Korea Annex Auditorium in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

This event is the first international academic conference held since the reorganization of the National Heritage Administration in May of this year, which led to the establishment of a department dedicated to traditional landscapes. Based on the experience of registering various traditional landscapes from China and Japan as world heritage sites, it is expected to be helpful in promoting the registration of traditional landscapes in Korea as world heritage sites in the future.

The conference will consist of three presentations. First, Professor Liu Shanshan of Beijing Architectural University will present on the topic of “Cases and Lessons from the Globalization of Classical Chinese Gardens” and introduce the preservation, management, and utilization cases of the “Suzhou Classical Garden,” a representative traditional Chinese garden listed as a World Heritage Site, before and after its listing as a World Heritage Site.

Next, Yoshiharu Nakajima, Senior Researcher at the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Japan, will present on the topic of “Globalization of Japanese Gardens and Trends in Cultural Tourism”, the process of registering Japanese gardens as World Heritage sites, the current status of Japanese garden creation projects underway overseas, and examples of cultural tourism policies for Japanese gardens.

Professor Shin Hyun-sil of Woosuk University, a member of the Natural Heritage Committee of the National Heritage Administration, plans to comprehensively introduce various matters related to the registration of traditional landscapes as a World Heritage Site and future directions under the theme of ‘Globalization Strategy for Korean Traditional Landscapes.’

After the keynote speech, a comprehensive discussion will be held with Lee Sang-seok, Chairman of the Natural Heritage Committee of the National Heritage Administration, as the moderator, where presenters, discussants, and international conference participants will exchange diverse opinions.

Anyone can participate in this academic conference by registering on-site on the day. Videos of the keynote speeches and general discussions and a collection of materials will be released later on the National Heritage Administration YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/@khs_pr) and website (www.khs.go.kr). For more information, please call (☎042-610-7675).

As the only national organization responsible for the preservation, management, and utilization of traditional landscaping, the National Heritage Administration plans to establish a strategic foundation for the globalization of Korean traditional landscaping through this international academic conference and to continuously strengthen cooperative relations in the field of traditional landscaping among Korea, China, and Japan.

Editor. Hong Se-yeong