Status and Implications of the Designation of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Field of Folktales in North Korea and China

The purpose of this paper is to examine the current status and implications of folktales as cultural heritage North Korea and China to find a way to designate folktales as national intangible cultural heritage. To achieve this, we reviewed the current status of folk tales designated as intangible cultural heritage in North Korea and China, focusing on their content, selection criteria, and selection methods. North Korea began designating intangible cultural heritage in 2012, and China in 2006, with folktales accounting for more than 10% of the total list. North Korea has confirmed the designation of 13 folktales as national and local intangible cultural heritage, while China has designated 167 folktales as national intangible cultural heritage. In North Korea, the first criterion for designating a folktale as an intangible cultural heritage is the fact that Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, and Kim Jong-un showed interest in the tale and mentioned it. Second, it is material with content that can be used as a means of public education. Third, it is material that uniquely reflects the historical and local characteristics of North Korea. Fourth, the target of designation is the recreated current publication rather than the narrative prototype of the folktale text. The characteristics that can be confirmed through the list of designations in the field of Chinese folk tales are: First, materials from minority ethnic groups are given priority over oral literature from the Han Chinese, the mainstream ethnic group. Second, the designation is based on the region where the tale is handed down. Third, for tales that are handed down in a wide area, all of the regions where the tale is handed down are designated. Fourth, if additional areas for the transmission of folk tales designated as primary are discovered, the areas for transmission are expanded and additionally designated. Fifth, the designation targets are comprehensively designated as single works or groups of tales, and also include historical records and modern publications. The designation of Korean folktales as intangible cultural heritage can be attempted in various directions. It requires passionate efforts from the national administration and academia with an open perspective regarding the cases of North Korea and China.