UNESCO most likely to list 'nongak' as intangible cultural heritage

Nongak, traditional Korean music performed by farmers, and North Korean versions of the traditional Korean folk song "Arirang" are most likely to be added to UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list, the government said Wednesday.

   The body that deliberates on new additions has categorized South Korea's "Nongak, community band music, dance and rituals" and six North Korean variations of "Arirang" as recommended for inscription, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration.

   The final decision is due in December, when the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage meets at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris on Nov. 24-28.

   The recommendation for nongak was made with a unilateral decision by members of the subsidiary body that makes preliminary deliberations for the November meeting, according to a report on the outcome of the deliberations that UNESCO released on its homepage.

   The report said the music characterized by independence, openness and creativity has served to provide a cultural identity to both performers and audiences. 

   Applications are divided into three categories of recommended for induction, refer and not to inscribe. Those recommended for inscription are normally adopted by the UNESCO committee as intangible cultural heritages of humanity.

   Nongak would be South Korea's 17th item on the UNESCO list that includes ancestral royal rites, a percussion instrument performance known as "pansori" and a 5,000-year-old dance called "ganggangsullae."

   "Arirang" is not just one song but a variety of local versions handed down generation after generation on the Korean Peninsula. It is often dubbed a "second national anthem" or an "unofficial national anthem" of Korea because, due to its easy melody and tune, virtually all Koreans, even those living in North Korea and abroad, can sing at least part of it. Experts say there are thousands of variations of "Arirang" carrying the refrain, "Arirang, arirang, arariyo."

   The six versions of Arirang recommended for inscription were those in Pyongyang, South Pyongan Province, South Hwanghae Province, Kangwon Province, South Hamgyong Province and Jagang Province.  

   South Korea's Arirang was added to the list during the seventh intergovernmental committee meeting held in Paris in December 2012.  

   Arirang would be North Korea's first item on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list.

   There were 46 applications for this year, of which 32 were recommended for inscription and eight were dropped. Six items were referred for more information. (Yonhap)