Learning the culture from europe

: Ring the Alarm at cultural properties system

 

400 years of Korea history has been destroyed within a few hours. What is the problem? Why couldn't we have done something to Sungnyemun before it was burned down? .............Ed.

I traveled to nine countries in Europe and America over winter vacation. I experienced their culture by visiting each country. Especially when I saw their cultural assets, I could certainly understand their culture. Witnessing cultural assets allow travelers to understand that country’s tradition and spirit and even form spiritual bonds. Many countries strain at protecting their cultural properties. The more I visit foreign countries, the more I admire Korean cultural properties. Reversely, I came to be disappointed in our careless governmental support to protect our cultural assets. Korean culture has greater value than oversea culture. Considering the location of cultural properties, they placed harmoniously and surrounded with nature. Even though we have numerous magnificent cultural properties, we don't make full use of them and just leave them.

[Europe]
What I take strong interest in is the fact that culturally developed countries assign a lot of national finance to protect and maintain public relations with their culture. Also they legally try to mix the culture of the past and present and make current looks. Moreover, they create economical added value on the basis of their culture.

France, known as a perfect country for protecting their culture, educates about the importance of culture to elevate awareness and support with a national system. For example, Cathedrale Notre-Dame in Paris sets the number of people who can enter it at a time and control them. Also, guards of numerous tourist resort including volunteers, are always ready for accidents. France doesn’t only have Fire Prevention Regulations, but also perfectly controls the inner structure of building. In 2008, they will spend 39 percent of the budget of National Culture & Tour on preservation and superintendence of their cultural properties. Moreover, 45 percent of budget except personal expenses will be used for cultural assets.

In addition, the French government is divided into three levels and each of them firmly studies methods for their culture preservation. Each group has a center part and local groups. They are closely connected to excavate and restore cultural properties. Moreover France upgraded wine to an intangible cultural asset and passed a bill that they are not allowed to sell wineries to foreigners. They certainly guard their own culture.

[America]
After the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, the United States more thoroughly superintends than other countries. The safeguards examine both domestic travelers and foreign travelers’ possessions to find whether they have prohibited goods or not. Therefore they nip accidents in the bud. After Sept. 11, FBI bans on tours or changes to subscription basis in the places including the White house.

[Asia]
In Japan, over 90 percent of buildings having a national treasure or an important property furnish fire detectors and over the seventy percent have fire fighting facilities. If they install safeguard, government supports up to 85 percent of the expense.

China has many of wooden relics vulnerable to fire. So they set up autonomous fire stations. Because they construct twenty-four hour surveillance, they can set out within two minutes in an emergency.

Compare our cultural assets protection with other country, our actual circumstances are very shameful. Recently, Sungnyemun (National Treasure No.1) was consumed by fire and also Naksan Temple was burned three years ago. The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s vision to build a cultural center in the world is broken to pieces.

After Sungnyemun was completely destroyed by fire, the point about cultural asset left alone is discovered everywhere in Korea. It’s impossible for one government agency to control cultural assets because we have cultural properties from five thousand years of history.

Therefore, first of all, we should make a network connecting each agency. Next we need to prepare a plan to have the participation of NGO to preserve these assets. The third method is organizing a national budget for traditional culture research. Using this study, we can make value added products. Following these efforts, we can realize the dream of a cultural powerful country.