NGO publishes English map of Korea and world cultural heritage

The Voluntary Agency Network of Korea has unveiled a world map showing 21 UNESCO-listed intangible cultural heritage of Korea. Talchum, Korean mask dance-drama which was added to the UNESCO list on Nov. 30, is not show on the map.

The cultural heritage map is part of the civic group's "New Hayllu" project, aimed at encouraging some 150 million hallyu fans to expand their interest in Korea beyond Korean pop culture, according to the civic group.

"In the midst of Japan's continued claim of sovereignty over Dokdo Islets and China's cultural appropriation of kimchi and hanbok, we have created an intangible cultural heritage map to properly inform the world of Korea's history, culture and territory," VANK said.

The map features a world map and a map of the Korean Peninsula.

Korea’s 21 intangible cultural heritage are shown with photos and descriptions and 35 intangible cultural heritage from around the world and the national flags of 195 countries are shown on the maps.

Illustrations include Korea's gimjang culture (making and sharing of kimchi), nongak (community band music, dance and rituals), Arirang (lyrical folk song) and pansori (epic musical storytelling), as well as China's traditional papercutting craft, Jianzhi, Turkey’s arts of the Meddah, public storytellers, Iranian music, radif, and many others.

A total of 10,000 maps will be distributed to school teachers worldwide, according to the VANK. The map can also be downloaded for free at the VANK's official website.

Since 1999, the civic group has worked with volunteers to create and distribute over 1.5 million copies of 105 different types of materials on Korean culture and history.