Children train taekwondo at a dojang. (Korea Heritage Service)
Children train taekwondo at a dojang. (Korea Heritage Service)

The traditions of Korean ginseng, long associated with health and longevity, and the practice of the traditional martial art taekwondo are now vying for inclusion on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The Korea Heritage Service announced Tuesday that it had submitted two nomination dossiers to the UNESCO headquarters: “The Insam Tradition: Knowledge, Skills and Cultural Practices Related to Ginseng in the Republic of Korea” and “Taekwondo: A Dojang-centered Korean Training Tradition.”

The Insam tradition encompasses more than the cultivation and processing of ginseng. It emerged from a lifestyle shaped by respect for nature and the pursuit of well-being and longevity. It includes the skills needed to cultivate and process the medicinal herb, as well as everyday practices such as widespread beliefs, rituals, legends, recipes and gift-giving traditions related to the plant.

The tradition continues in diverse forms across different periods and regions and is transmitted through hands-on participation and educational activities.

After review by the UNESCO Secretariat and evaluation by expert committees, the final decision on inscription will be made at the 23rd session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in December 2028.

Ginseng roots are naturally dried in the open air. (Korea Heritage Service)
Ginseng roots are naturally dried in the open air. (Korea Heritage Service)

Taekwondo is anchored in dojangs — training halls where instructors and practitioners train together and cultivate mutual respect and cooperation. The practice fosters community bonds through shared training, passing down techniques, codes of conduct and the values of practice from one generation to the next.

Practitioners across all age groups engage in taekwondo, and the tradition is transmitted through a generational cycle in which some practitioners eventually become instructors themselves, sustaining the practice through teaching and learning.

Following the example of the traditional Korean wrestling practice of ssireum, the Korea Heritage Service hopes for a joint North-South inscription of taekwondo. North Korea submitted its own nomination in March 2024 for “Taekwon-Do, traditional martial art in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” which is currently under review. Republic of Korea and Democratic People's Republic of Korea are the formal names of South Korea and North Korea, respectively.

Insam (Korea Heritage Service)
Insam (Korea Heritage Service)

hwangdh@heraldcorp.com