Following the designation as world heritage sites,...
Our Lee Min-sun tells us about Seowons and their significance in Korean history.
Nine Confucian Academies in Korea have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. These traditional academies, called Seowon in Korean, sprung up in the countryside during the Joseon Dynasty in the 16th and 17th centuries.
"In the Joseon Dynasty, there were the village schools and Sungkyunkwan in the capital area and local schools called Hyanggyo in the countryside... spreading the political philosophy of the country. But the local schools started to lose their role and that's when Seowons were created."
Out of the 6-hundred and 40 Seowons left in Korea, 9 of them including Sosu Seowon in Yeongju and Dosan and Byeongsan Seowons in Andong have been recognized by UNESCO… for their wealth of intangible cultural heritage that shows history, education, rituals, and documentary culture.
Seowons are the equivalent of today's universities or colleges and show the typical private education system of the Joseon Dynasty.
As a center of local society and education, they produced collections of literary works and were places for intellectuals to gather. Seowons were built in harmony with the surrounding natural environment.
And their unique architectural style was suitable for diffusion of Confucianism in the rural areas of Korea.
After the Cultural Heritage Administration withdrew their bid for Seowons to be World Heritage Sites in 2016, it sought consultations from UNESCO's evaluation agency and applied again in 2018.
After almost two years of supplementary work, Seowons are now recognized for their 'Outstanding Universal Value' and have become Korea's 14th World Heritage Sites.
Lee Min-sun Arirang News.
