Preserving Historic Sites

[Anchor Lead]

A national trust refers to a civilian campaign to preserve cultural heritage and historical relics with donations. Next, we will take you to some of the historical sites that have been preserved through such efforts.

[Pkg]

This is the old house of Hyegok Choi Soon-woo, a leading art historian who even risked his life to protect Korean cultural assets. The house was placed on the verge of dismantlement during an urban redevelopment project. However, some good-willed citizens collected donations of 768,000 U.S. dollars and purchased the house in 2002. Every year, more than 60 volunteers join the efforts to clean and preserve the house, which has become the first civilian cultural heritage asset.

[Soundbite] Kim Da-hyun(Volunteer) : "It is most fulfilling to help preserve Choi Soon-woo's old house through volunteer work."

The studio of sculptor Kwon Jin-kyu who pioneered a new field in Korean sculpture, is another cultural asset preserved by citizens' efforts. It is now being used as a workshop for young artists.

[Soundbite] Song Ji-young(National Trust Cultural Heritage Fund) : "As the scope of cultural heritage has expanded, citizens have found valuable cultural assets in accessible surroundings."

Civilian cultural assets that are preserved through citizens' voluntary efforts are regaining value as spaces for communication and art activities.