A Cross-cultural Study of Safeguarding Activities of Intangible Cultural Heritage in East Asian Countries

From a cross-cultural perspective the current status of the safeguarding activities of intangible cultural heritage in Korea, China, Japan and North Korea has been reviewed and analyzed in this paper. Today, in the international community, the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in the current way began with the UNESCO Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage proclaimed in 2003. However, due to the specific circumstances of each country, various aspects of the practice of the Convention system have been observed. This paper reviewed only four countries’ cases which are thought to be meaningful for the cross-cultural comparison focusing on the safeguarding policies and practices of intangible cultural heritage. It revealed that those of the four countries are progressing in closely interconnected ways. Or, it emphasized that the safeguarding policies and practices of South Korean, Japan, China and North Korea are progressing through mutual relations and influence. This analysis help to understand these dynamics and eventually the framework of the UNESCO Convention in four East Asian countries.