National Intangible Cultural Heritage (South Korea)

National Intangible Cultural Heritage is a national-level designation within the heritage preservation system of South Korea for intangible cultural heritage. This and other national-level designations are maintained by South Korea's Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA).

There is a separate local-level designation called "Intangible Cultural Properties". That designation is administered by provinces or cities rather than by the CHA.

Practices of particular importance can be designated as Important Intangible Cultural Properties.

History
The 1962 Cultural Property Protection Law that governs the system was modelled on the Japanese 1950 Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties, which provides for the designation of Intangible Cultural Properties as well as the holders of these craft and performance traditions, known informally as Living National Treasures. These early initiatives at a national level influenced UNESCO in its approach to intangible cultural heritage, leading to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. As of April 2012, fourteen Korean Intangible Cultural Properties have been inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.