South Korea plans to team up with North Korea to secure UNESCO recognition for taekwondo as a shared intangible cultural heritage, officials said Monday.
The Cultural Heritage Committee, advising the Korea Heritage Service (KHS), selected taekwondo as the next candidate for a joint or expanded UNESCO listing. Seoul plans to submit its application by March, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
The move follows North Korea’s separate application in March 2024 for “Taekwon-Do, traditional martial art in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” currently under review, with a final decision expected at UNESCO’s 21st committee session in Xiamen, China, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 5.
If successful, this would be the second joint heritage listing between the two Koreas, after the traditional wrestling style ssireum was jointly inscribed in 2018.
North Korea currently has five intangible heritage items on UNESCO’s list, including Arirang folk songs, kimchi-making, and ssireum, while South Korea maintains 23 entries, from royal ritual music to fermented soybean sauces.
Seoul is also pursuing UNESCO recognition for traditional Korean paper (hanji) this year, with another candidate, Ginseng Culture, scheduled for evaluation in 2028.