NRICH is conducting status surveys on the cultural and natural heritage within the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Since May 2020, it has been carrying out field surveys in the DMZ to identify the conservation status of some 40 cultural and natural heritage sites. In February 2021, the first survey was conducted in the Jangdanmyeon area, a modern-day village destroyed by the Korean War. In the area, the research team carried out a status survey on three sites designated as National Registered Cultural Heritage (i.e., a former township office, a former train station, and a bridge known as the “Bridge of Death”) and also performed 3D scanning of these sites.
The team has now moved onto status surveys of 30 sites in Goseong, Gangwon-do Province, including the Northernmost Guard Post in the DMZ, Goseong (National Registered Cultural Heritage No. 752), the Natural Reserve of Hyangnobong Peak and Geonbongsan Mountain, and other heritage sites along the Namgang River. Based on the findings of these surveys, NRICH plans to support the Korean government’s plan to apply for the inscription of the Korean DMZ on the World Heritage List as joint heritage of the two Koreas.
