A collection of North Korean versions of the traditional Korean folk song, "Arirang," have been added to the Representative List of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
 
The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage made the addition to the UNESCO list during its ninth session in Paris on Wednesday.  
 
The addition marks the first time for a cultural heritage from North Korea to be included on the UNESCO list.
 
As “Arirang” is more than a single folk song and is rather a variety of versions passed down from generation to generation, the new entry on the list includes six of the North’s versions originating from six of its provinces. 
 
Following South Korea’s “Arirang” that was added to the UNESCO list earlier in 2012, the nation’s traditional music performed by farmers, known as “nong-ak,” is now expected to also be added. The committee is set to make a decision on the matter as early as Thursday.
 
If added, “nong-ak” would become South Korea's 17th item on the UNESCO list. Other South Korean items on the list include the royal ancestral rituals and music of Jongmyo Shrine and the traditional form of musical storytelling known as "pansori.”