Traditional Korean Sport

[Anchor Lead]

UNESCO has accepted the two Korea's joint bid to register the traditional Korean wrestling Ssireum to its list of intangible cultural heritages. This is the first time the two Koreas have jointly inscribe a cultural asset on the UNESCO list. The addition is expected to offer a new boost to inter-Korean cultural exchanges.

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[Soundbite] Prithvirajsing Roopun(Chairman, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee) : "Traditional Korean wrestling Ssireum will be inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list."

The traditional Korean wrestling sport Ssireum has been inscribed as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. This is the first time the two Koreas have jointly registered a traditional cultural asset on the UNESCO list. Held in Mauritius on Monday, the 13th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage recognized that in South and North Korea, Ssireum has common social and cultural meanings in communities. The two Koreas also share similar traditional methods and rules to hold matches. The committee added that it accepted the joint listing bid to boost peace and reconciliation between the two Koreas. But there are some differences. In North Korea, Ssireum is held on a mat, not in a sand pit, and players, dressed in uniforms, stand first before grabbing each other's belts called satba. South and North Korea also use different terms for Ssireum techniques. This is why there were many that thought the two Korea's combined listing bid was not likely to be accepted. However, related discussions gained speed after the South proposed the joint listing bid, following an inter-Korean summit in April. With UNESCO Secretary General Audrey Azoulay lending support, her envoy visited North Korea to win the regime's consent.

[Soundbite] Jang Myong-ho(North Korea's Guidance Bureau for the Preservation of National Heritage) : "While placing a high value on the root of reconciliation and cooperation, the two Koreas have taken an extraordinary step to jointly register a traditional cultural asset."

The addition of ssireum is expected to help the two Koreas' joint bids to register the Demilitarized Zone and royal tombs from the Joseon Dynasty on the UNESCO list.