Opinions on increasing the utilization of Korean seowon, a glocal humanities space

This study aims to propose a direction for the modern utilization of Seowon(Neo-Confucian academies) through the utilization policies and actual cases of Korean Seowon. Since the mid-2000s, the utilization policy for traditional cultural heritage has shifted from preservation to utilization. The Hyanggyo and Seowon Cultural Heritage Project, led by the National Heritage Administration, began with 38 projects in 2014 and has continued to expand, reaching 90 projects by 2025. Following the inscription of nine “Korean Seowon” on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019, the utilization policy for Seowon was institutionally reorganized. The World Heritage Act was enacted in 2021, and the Comprehensive Plan for World Heritage Conservation, Management, and Utilization was established in 2022. Subsequently, the Sungkyunkwan, Hyanggyo, and Seowon Act was enacted in 2023, enabling continued support for Seowon sites beyond the nine. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is currently developing a comprehensive plan based on this law for 2025. Most of the currently implemented Seowon utilization projects are comprised of programs rooted in the Seowon's humanistic spirit. However, they are primarily focused on traditional cultural experiences, scholar-scholarship experiences, and programs for children and youth. These programs often lack the flexibility to utilize cultural assets on a regular basis. To overcome these limitations, each Seowon must have unique content, and active support from local governments is essential. Furthermore, local cultural organizations must cultivate expertise in planning and implementing these programs. Specifically, the 100 Seowon Project, conducted by the National Institute of Korean Studies, serves as a model for content development. By collecting and organizing data from individual Seowons in each region, the project can generate educational materials, promotional videos, and catalogs to increase public interest and serve as a reference for future content development. Furthermore, if this project is expanded nationwide in conjunction with the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism's comprehensive plan, its effectiveness will be further enhanced. In other words, since the current Seowon utilization and preservation project has an institutional basis for support from the government and local governments, it is necessary to simultaneously promote projects to discover content for each Seowon and train professional personnel to plan and operate them.