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The National Intangible Heritage Center (NIHC, Director Hong-dong Kim), a national institution under the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea, was officially opened in the city of Jeonju, Republic of Korea, in October 2014. Intangible cultural heritage is a valuable form of cultural asset that contains greater internal meaning than is visible on the surface, and its importance continues to grow every day. However, due to the non-physical nature of intangible cultural heritage, there are challenges to safeguarding and transmitting it, especially since the cultural element itself can be lost when its bearer passes on. Currently, there are 132 state-designated elements of important intangible cultural heritage in Korea with 174 bearers, and 38 of these have been identified as being in a vulnerable state of viability with poor foundations for transmission or insufficient numbers of bearers. The NIHC fulfills comprehensive functions for safeguarding and strengthening transmission foundations for intangible cultural heritage, including vulnerable elements, while supporting the independent viability and revitalization of traditional arts and crafts.