Traditional Korean Wrestling Ssireum; Examination of the Joint Inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultrual Hertiage of Humanity from the case of the two Koreas

This paper examines the current status of the Ssireum community in North and South Korea by focusing on the joint inscription on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Based on this joint inscription, this paper considers ways to exchange and communicate based on the cooperation from both the North and South Korea’s Ssireum community in the process of the joint inscription. In 2018, both South and North Koreas were preparing separate entries for Ssireum even though there is only one Ssireum in the world. The relationship between the Koreas were improved at this time period making it possible for a quickly adapted join inscription. However, due to the urgency in registration for the joint inscription of Ssireum as well as the rapidly changing political relations between the Koreas, one of the main requirements for inscription on the representative list, which is inventorying exchanges and cooperation methods between North and South Korean ssireum-related holders (individuals), groups, and communities, were not specifically discussed between the Koreas. In order to carry out efficient inventorying between the Koreas, it is important to analyze the contrasting involvement of the differing communities or organizations in each country through the joint inscription for the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The South Korean Ssireum community is made up of many regional Ssireum organizations affiliated under the Korea Ssireum Association. The North Korean Ssireum community consists of government agencies, social groups, universities, research institutes, sports-related organizations, ssireum committee, and students of the Ssireum who all partake in the process of transmission and have been listed in the application. The clear distinction between the Koreas of their Ssireum network is correlated to how each governments perceive their Ssireum community, as this paper seeks to examine various exchange methods and communication that can continuously spread the value of intangible cultural heritage as a traditional customs of the Korean people based on the understanding of these communities in each country.