Suggestion for Designation of National Intangible Heritage of Folktales

As Korea joined the “UNESCO Convention” in 2005, Korea implemented the “Intangible Cultural Property Act” in 2016. As a result, a field of “Ra(라). Oral Tradition and Expression”, was newly established, making it possible to designate a national cultural heritage item for folktales. Nevertheless, until August 2024, not a single event has been realized in the designation of national intangible heritage of folktales. This is due to the view that since the 1980s, the traditional Iyagipan(이야 기판) has disappeared, and the transmission of oral stories has also been cut off. However, this recognition is a misunderstanding caused by denying that the current transmission of folktales continues actively through the “Beautiful Story Grandma” project and numerous old story telling channels on YouTube etc. Another position against the designation of folktales as national intangible heritage is the opinion that Gureongdeongdeongsinseonbi(구 렁덩덩신선비), Kongji Patzzi(콩쥐팥쥐) are folktales with global universality and lack uniqueness, and can lead to conflict with other countries. However, the value of folktales can be found in various realization patterns such as national identity and cultural uniqueness. Therefore, the designation of a national intangible heritage item of folktales is an important task to protect our identity and uniqueness. Finally, I would like to suggest some opinions to revitalize the designation of folktales as national intangible heritage items. It is urgent to clarify the value of intangible heritage of the current transmission of folktales and to redefine the definition, category, and classification system of the “Ra(라)” field. In addition, systematic policy establishment and long-term research projects should be promoted, and the discovery of local intangible heritage should be actively supported. Aside from that, the construction of a digital archive of folktales should protect and promote the current transmission of folktales.