The Encyclopedia of Korean Local Culture and Heritage of Regional Science and Technology: focusing on Jeollabuk-do

Although Korea’s science and technology led to compressed growth in a short period of time, the growth did not facilitate the development of solid science culture. In order to explore the reasons behind this insufficiency and to promote indigenization of science culture, this paper proposes to link science and history, and science and region. To this end, we examine the items included in the category of science and technology of the ongoing the Encyclopedia of Korean Local Culture project and explore its implications and limitations. Based on the examination, we propose that the scope of science and technology should be expanded for the future Encyclopedia project to include the concepts of ‘science and technology heritage’, which can be divided into human heritage, tangible heritage, and intangible heritage. This paper also introduces the items found in Jeollabuk-do that could be included in the expanded heritage category. By embracing the broader view of science and technology that incorporates the concept of heritage, we will be able to broaden our understanding of local culture and interpret science and technology in connection with the historical and cultural context of a region’s development.