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| A Day in Seoul - Learning About Heritage by Nurzaifullah Mansor 22 July 2008 If I had a chance to travel, Korea would be my 1st choice of destination. The country has so many beautiful places (always captured beautifully in film), rich with customs, traditions, and culture. So when I was given a chance to attend the Asian Conference of National Trusts in Seoul, Korea, I was quite excited as I would now be able to explore Korea. As part of the conference programme, all the delegates were taken on a tour of 3 historical sites and National Trust of Korea (NTK) properties in Seoul city. This was a chance to see how the NTK run, care for and manage their properties. Choi Sunu House Memorial What struck me most was the atmosphere in this site. The design of this traditional Korean style house, surrounded by a walled traditional garden with pots that held water gave me such a calm and peaceful feeling. This effect is further enhanced by the fact that this house built in the 1930s, is well preserved and was kept so tidy and clean although there are many trees and flowers there. The Choi Sunu House has been designated as the First Civil Cultural Heritage Property. What this means is that the house was purchased and maintained by civic funds – in this case, the donations from the members of the National Trust and the community. Although the NTK was only established in 2000, it already has over 1,500 members! The house is the 2nd designated National Trust cultural heritage property and is run by the National Trust Cultural Heritage Fund (NTCHF). The NTCHF runs all the fundraising activities for the NTK’s preservation campaigns. Part of the house is used as the office for the NTCHF while another section has been preserved as a memorial to Choi Sunu. Choi Sunu is known as an art historian and served as the Director of the National Museum of Korea from 1974 to 1984. This house was where he wrote his renowned books. The NTK preserved his working area and display a collection of his handwriting script, photographs, and relics. Kwon, Jin-Kyu Atelier
The Kwon Jin-Kyu Atelier is another property of three that is directly managed by the NTCHF. It is also the 5th National Trust property of the 14 preserved by the NTK. Located at Dongsun-Dong Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul, the atelier was donated to the Trust by Kwon Jin-Kyu’s sister in December 2006. I learnt that although this was not a heritage building, it was designated as an important part of Korea’s cultural heritage for Kwon was a famous sculptor. His studio and materials have been preserved as is. As the site was still undergoing conservation and preparation to be open to the public, we were only allowed limited access. I believe that this is a great way to remember this artist who introduced elements of modernity to Korean sculpture and demonstrate Korean arts. The atelier’s location high on the hill allows visitors a very nice view of parts of the city. Just visiting these two heritage sites managed by the NTK gave me an idea of the NTK’s activities, how they obtained properties and manage them. Gyeongbokgung
At the Gyeongbokgung, the National Palace Museum, I was mostly impressed by the modern technology used to share the history, demonstrate the culture and traditions of the people in this main palace of the Joseon Dynasty. This is an extremely large site but the way the Korean government took care of the place is amazing. The buildings look well kept, there were clear signage throughout and best of all, even though you can see so many people everywhere, the site was clean! This is so different from Malaysia where you would likely see rubbish all over! When we were there, there was a special ceremony of welcoming the arrival of the King and Queen. With so many actors in their beautiful and colourful costumes, it felt as if the ceremony was real. Visitors can stay in the central courtyard and watch the ceremony or continue touring the site. There are information boards providing information about each building. Or you can opt for the audio guide. Upon entering the palace, our liaison officer provided us with a brochure and the audio guide. I thought that it was great and extremely helpful. This is a sort of a light pen connected to ear phones – you just point the pen on any numbered point on the map in the brochure and the guide will provide you with the relevant information. For me, this technology allowed me to explore the palace in any order I liked and at my own pace. On the grounds of Gyeongbokgung palace is where the National Folk Museum is located. It is in a building that used to house the National Museum of Korea. Although we didn’t have much time, I managed to visit the 3 exhibition halls which showcased Korean culture, traditions, local food, utensils and other parts of their lifestyle. Interactive multimedia is used very effectively to help visitors – like me who do not speak Korean! – to visualise, and appreciate the history and different every day experiences of the people. This also helped make my visit experience more meaningful as I learned to say "thank you", "how are you" and other expressions in Korean just by using the computer technology in the museum. Eun Deok Culture Centre
The conference was held in the Eun Deok Culture Centre. The centre was established in 2007 by the Won-Buddhism Foundation. The oldest part of the site houses the monastery and access to that building is limited. However, the conference building is new but built in the architectural style of the traditional Korean hanok. There was the courtyard, lovely green areas, calming water features and places to sit outside the building. It was easy for us to participate in the events taking place both outdoors and indoors. I am so impressed with all these places that I have visited in Seoul - from the way the places have been preserved to the way people appreciate heritage buildings. I hope that we can see more of this spirit and support in Malaysia.
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