South and North Korea have resumed their social and cultural projects, which had been suspended since Seoul enforced a ban on inter-Korean trade and exchanges in May last year. One of those projects is the joint excavation of the remains of a centuries-old royal palace of the Goryeo Dynasty called Manwoldae, located in the North Korean border city of Gaeseong. A group of South Korean historians and cultural artifact experts visited North Korea on November 14 to conduct a safety survey of the palace site and take emergency measures. The visit is a follow-up measure to the working-level meeting of historians from South and North Korea in Gaeseong last month. During the October meeting, the historians concluded that emergency measures were needed to better preserve the palace site because it had suffered serious flood damage, including the collapse of part of the embankment near the site. The South Korean historians will stay in Gaeseong until November 23 for the survey. Based on the results of the survey, additional work for restoring and preserving the remains of the ancient palace will reportedly begin on November 24 for a month. Professor Jeon Young-seon at the Research Center of Humanities for Unification of Konkuk University says the excavation project will, in effect, resume after being suspended for 17 months.

The two Koreas jointly carried out an inspection on the Manwoldae site from May 18 to July 17, 2007. Cultural artifact experts from both sides attended the inspection organized by South Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration, the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, the North Korean National Reconciliation Council and the Association of Inter-Korean Historians. A ceremony took place on May 18, 2007 to mark the digging in the ground. The inspection team consisting of about ten members conducted a survey on a 33,000-square-meter site in the northwest area of Manwoldae for two months. But the joint excavation work came to a halt following South Korea’s sanctions on the North in May last year. The ongoing North Korea visit by the South Korean historians is sort of a preliminary meeting for resuming the suspended restoration work.

Situated at the foot of the Songak Mountain in Gaeseong, Manwoldae is the site of an ancient royal palace of the Goryeo Dynasty that has been preserved underground for 600 years. The veil was lifted on the site in May 2007 when historians from the two Koreas launched a project to uncover the remains of the old palace. Rare artifacts, such as celadon pots and roof tiles engraved with Chinese characters, were unearthed in the site in the effort to retrace the grand and splendid royal culture of the Goryeo Kingdom. Initially, the excavation project was to continue for ten years, but it was suspended last year in the wake of Seoul’s May 24 punitive measures against the North. Scholars are stressing the need for a quick follow-up measure, noting that the stalled status of the project is causing damage to the cultural property.



Some describe the current situation as akin to “leaving canned food open.” When a can is opened, the food inside the can begins to decompose. Likewise, it would have been better not to dig up earth in the palace site but preserve it as it is to let the next generation excavate it later. If the opened site is left neglected, the cultural property could be damaged due to contamination or corrosion. As far as I know, there are few cases of halting an excavation project after digging into the ground, without any protection work, in the history of uncovering cultural relics.

Meanwhile, the government is moving to resume the compilation of a unified Korean dictionary as part of efforts to recover cultural homogeneity of the two Koreas. An association dedicated to publishing an integrated Korean language dictionary asked the Unification Ministry to approve its visit to Gaeseong on November 18 to hold a working-level meeting with North Korean officials, and the ministry says it is positively reviewing the request. The joint dictionary project, the first of its kind, was initiated in 2005 with the funding from South Korea’s Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund, with the aim of compiling standard Korean used in South and North Korea, regional dialects and the Korean language spoken by ethnic Koreans overseas.

The compilation project, the “Big Dictionary of the Korean People’s Language,” as it is called, was agreed upon between South Korean Reverend Moon Ik-hwan and former North Korean leader Kim Il-sung when Moon visited North Korea in 1989. The project began in earnest in 2005. Linguists from South and North Korea held quarterly meetings to convene an inter-Korean joint compilation conference and select vocabulary to be included in the envisioned dictionary. The project was to last until 2013, but it is now on hold. Yet, scholars in both sides of the border are making their own efforts to collect words and expressions.

The Jogye Order of South Korean Buddhism visited Bohyeon Temple at Mt. Myohyang in North Korea in September to hold a Buddhist service jointly with a Buddhist association in the North. After that, representatives of South Korea’s seven largest religious groups made a rare joint trip to North Korea. Also, Maestro Chung Myung-whun, conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, visited North Korea and conducted the North’s State Symphony Orchestra. So, why did the government approve the North Korea visits by South Korean academic and cultural figures to resume social and cultural exchanges with the North?

Social and cultural exchanges between the two sides, especially those in the academic area, are less affected by government sanctions or pressure against North Korea. In light of inter-Korean unity or togetherness, the government has more to lose in prohibiting these kinds of exchanges. The signs of improving inter-Korean ties or resuming stalled joint projects are first sensed in art and cultural areas, which have often served as an ideal frame to maintain bilateral ties. For that reason, I imagine the government is seeking a change in relations with Pyongyang, starting with resuming exchanges in these areas.

Experts underline the importance of social and cultural exchanges between South and North Korea, citing Germany’s unification. West Germany called for the expansion of cultural exchanges with East Germany whenever the former provided economic assistance to the latter. The two sides signed an agreement on cultural cooperation and guaranteed the freedom to travel across the border. As steady social and cultural exchanges between East and West Germany facilitated Germany’s unification, it is necessary for the two Koreas to expand exchanges in academic and cultural areas little by little.

Inter-Korean academic and cultural exchanges started only recently, and it is possible to expand the exchanges. But it is necessary to create a channel to carry out cultural exchanges on a more stable basis. In fact, social and cultural exchanges have a positive function in addressing political and economic problems. Nevertheless, they are inevitably subject to the political situation. As you see, the stalled inter-Korean relations have resulted in a deadlock in exchanges in these areas. Private-level exchanges have certain limitations, unless stability is ensured. It is urgent to build an official, stable channel between the authorities to conduct bilateral exchanges.

Inter-Korean exchanges have resumed in cultural and academic areas, in which the political burden is relatively muted. Some are hoping for greater bilateral exchanges in other areas, including economic cooperation. The recent positive developments should serve as a steppingstone for the two Koreas to build a solid base for dialogue and better relations.


[Interview] Festival for N. Korean Defectors
On Saturday, November 5, the Han River riverside park in Yeouido was crowded with people hoping to participate in a special event. At center stage were members of the Pyongyang art troupe singing with a distinct North Korean singing style to entertain the visitors. Organized by the North Korean Refugees Foundation, the “Harmony Grand Festival” was designed to encourage an understanding between North Korean defectors and South Korean citizens as “neighbors to live in harmony.” Here is Hong Jong-hwan, head of the Public Relations & Cooperation Team at the foundation.

This festival is the foundation’s first event since its inception. Here, North Korean defectors share the stories of expatriates who have successfully resettled in South Korea. The newcomers are also encouraged to mingle together with South Korean citizens as neighbors, as the name of the festival indicates. Ordinary citizens who are riding bicycles or strolling here at the riverside park can take note that so many North Korean newcomers are living in this society, thinking about their culture and unification once again. People from both sides of the border can spend time together here and encourage one another. This is what this festival is all about.

The festival started with a performance in which participants mixed various ingredients for an enormous amount of bibimbap for hundreds of people, and then ate it together. Bibimbap is rice mixed with meat, vegetables and red pepper paste. Representing harmony, the bibimbap performance was followed up by song and dance performances of the three leading Pyongyang art troupes in South Korea. People from the South and the North also joined in a singing contest, which was the highlight of the festival. Meanwhile, experience programs for South Korean citizens caught the attention of the visitors. They sampled North Korean food, such as potato rice cake and tofu rice, and played musical instruments manufactured in North Korea. In a word, they were able to enjoy North Korean culture that they seldom experienced in normal times. But the festival wasn’t all about performances or exhibitions. Non-governmental organizations for North Korean defectors and social enterprises set up booths to introduce various support programs for North Korean defectors. Job counseling, among other events, attracted many North Korean participants as their greatest concern is economic independence.

I’m Kim Jae-suk, deputy chief of the Employment Assistance Department at the North Korean Refugees Foundation. The foundation offers job counseling for North Korean defectors and helps them find jobs. It also supports the establishment of social enterprises and provides assistance to those hoping to engage in farming. Employment is one of the most important factors to determine financial independence. I think we should provide them with more diverse job information and help them get jobs in consideration of their aptitude, preference and experience.

With a variety of interesting and useful programs, the festival drew more than 3,000 people. North Korean newcomers said they felt the warmth of South Korean society, while South Korean citizens said they felt a sense of kinship with the new settlers from the North. Twenty thousand North Korean defectors have come to live in South Korea. Assisting their resettlement is not a matter of choice, but a must. Communication and dialogue through get-togethers will, no doubt, prove greatly helpful toward their successful resettlement. We hope there will be many more events like this festival dedicated to promoting exchanges and harmony.