Two frequently used proverbs in Korea are “like a rat caught in a jar” and “the sauce rather than the pot.” The first is used to describe someone caught in a difficult situation, like a rat that has fallen into a large onggi jar while the second means that the taste of the sauce contained within the pot is more important than what the pot looks like and is used to emphasize that content is more important than form.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) ratified the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention in 2008. Since then, the country has nominated three elements to the Convention’s Representative List, a mechanism of the Convention designed to draw attention to the importance of living heritage in general, on an international level. The first two elements listed by the DPRK were Arirang Folk Singing in 2014 and Traditional Kimchi-making in 2015, both of which were also listed separately by the Republic of Korea (ROK). Last year, when both countries listed an element jointly for the first time—traditional Korean wrestling, ssirum (also spelled ssireum) —it marked an historic moment in the cultural relations between the DPRK and the ROK and allowed culture to play a bridging role currently inaccessible through most other channels of cooperation.

Ms Suzanne Ogge, Heritage Specialist and ICH Consultant/ Accredited trainer for the UNESCO Global Capacity-building Program in the Asia Pacific Region. \nThe Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) ratified the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention (hereon ‘the 2003 Convention) in 2008. Since then, the country has nominated three elements to the Convention’s Representative List, which is aimed at drawing attention to the importance of living heritage in general, both within the nominating country, and on an international level. As most of you would be aware, State Parties to the Convention may prepare nomination files for the purpose of listing a living tradition (also referred to as ICH) and in doing so, contribute to raising awareness both nationally and internationally about the importance not only of the element inscribed on the list, but of intangible heritage in general.

Kazakh ceramic art is as old as Kazakh history itself. Excavation sites of early and medieval nomadic cultures include many pottery traditions that mark historical milestones of the Great Steppe. The most ancient forms of ceramics found in the region correspond to similar pieces found all over the world. Researchers believe that the first pottery traditions were introduced during the Indo-Iranian (Aryan) era of nomadic cattlemen, which is associated with the Andronovo culture of the fifteenth to eighth centuries BCE. In medieval times, the increased demand for ceramics was linked to thriving medieval Silk Road townships. Though there are similarities with many other Eurasian schools of ceramic art, each area presents its own unique pieces that carry distinctive characteristics.