The Korea Heritage Service (Administrator Heo Min) said on the 18th that it recently held the plenary meeting of the first National Heritage Committee, appointing 134 committee members and 239 expert advisors and electing the overall chair and the chairs of 12 subcommittees. Jeon Bong-hee, a professor of architecture at Seoul National University, will serve as the inaugural chair of the National Heritage Committee.
The National Heritage Committee is a non-standing advisory body to the Korea Heritage Service, composed of 12 subcommittees. It investigates and deliberates on key matters related to the preservation, management, and utilization of national heritage, including the designation (registration) and removal of state-designated (registered) heritage, alterations to its current state, the protection of historical and cultural environments, the excavation and protection of buried heritage, and the inscription of World Heritage sites.
The first National Heritage Committee consolidates into a single body the three separate committees—covering cultural heritage, natural heritage, and intangible heritage—that had operated independently since 2024.
In detail, the proportion of new members on the National Heritage Committee was raised from an average of about 50 percent in the past to 58 percent (78 members), allowing for the inclusion of younger scholars and experts from a wider range of fields. To balance the voices from each region, 43 percent of the members are from the Seoul metropolitan area and 57 percent are from non-capital regions.
To prevent conflicts of interest and enhance fairness in deliberations, the relevant laws were amended to extend the grounds for dismissal—previously applied only to committee members—to expert advisors as well.
The newly appointed committee members and expert advisors will investigate, deliberate on, and provide advice regarding key matters related to the preservation, management, and utilization of national heritage over the next two years.
