[Kulture Issue] Reflecting on the importance of Korea's cultural heritage amid destructive wildfires

Recently we reported on the damage to national heritage sites in South Korea caused by the worst wildfires in the country on record.

In late March there was a huge fire in Uiseong-gun County in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and fires spread to as far as Gyeongsangnam-do Province and Ulsan.

Another fire broke out just this week in the southern county of Hadong, which has now been mostly contained as of this Tuesday.

Today, we want to take a deeper look into the value and importance of Korea’s cultural heritages and the need to protect them.

For that, we are joined online by David Tizzard, Professor of Korean Studies at Seoul Women’s University and Hanyang University. Hello Professor Tizzard!

1) The massive wildfires in the southern part of South Korea have destroyed or damaged numerous cultural heritage sites. As a scholar of Korean studies, how did you feel when you heard about the destruction of these heritage sites?

2) This recent incident was so big that it has probably also hit ordinary people here in Korea as well as many hallyu fans?

3) Some places, like the historic Gounsa temple were completely burnt down, others fortunately were spared from the flames. Could you introduce us to some significant places?

4) (A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Buseoksa temple, was also threatened by the wildfires.) What importance do Korea’s Buddhist monuments hold to the world history and global Buddhist culture?

5) What efforts can be made to protect cultural heritage or what can be done to raise awareness?

Thank you very much Professor Tizzard for your insights and recommendations today. (It's unfortunate that we had to deal with this topic with the country having been affected by the wildfires, but it was an opportunity to shed light on the deep meaning of these historic sites as well as the religious and cultural aspects you touched upon today.)

Thank you Walter, we'll see you next time.