KOREAN HERITAGE

Shared Heritage and Joint Inscription

Traditional Korean wrestling was entered onto the UNESCO intangible heritage list in 2018 as a joint inscription by the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The decision to do so was made at the 13th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Port Louis, Mauritius in November 2018. The Korean wrestling tradition was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity under the name "Traditional Korean Wrestling, Ssirum/Ssireum" to honor the respective Romanizations used in North and South Korea.

The certificate indicating the inscription of Korean traditional wrestling on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

The possibility of the two Koreas working toward a joint inscription of traditional wrestling was first raised in July 2014 at a meeting held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to discuss regional cooperation in intangible heritage when representatives from North and South Korea explored the idea of drawing up a joint application for their shared wrestling traditions. The cooperative mood of the 2014 meeting did not lead to concrete action, however, and in March 2015 North Korea independently submitted a Korean wrestling application to UNESCO. The South responded to North Korea's move with its own application for Korean traditional wrestling one year later in 2016. North Korea's application was evaluated for inscription in 2016, but was eventually referred back to the State Party for further clarification. North Korea resubmitted a revised application in 2017. According to the UNESCO listing program's regulations on limiting the number of applications evaluated each year, the two applications from North and South Korea were both set to be examined for possible inscription in 2018.

A little more than a month before the opening of the Committee's 13th session, South Korean President Moon Jae-in paid a state visit to France and met with UNESCO Director- General Audrey Azoulay. During the meeting, Ms. Azoulay proposed a series of cooperative projects that might facilitate inter-Korean reconciliation, including the joint inscription of traditional Korean wrestling. Ms. Azoulay subsequently sent a special envoy to Pyongyang, adding further momentum to this unprecedented inter-Korean cooperation. At the UNESCO intergovernmental meeting in November, the Committee determined that the separately-submitted applications satisfied all the criteria and justified a joint nomination. The meaningful contribution this cooperative project would make to peace on the Korean Peninsula was also taken into consideration. Based on the consensus among the Committee members, traditional Korean wrestling was ultimately inscribed on the UNESCO intangible heritage list as the first joint nomination by the two Koreas.

Young wrestlers at play

Women enjoy wrestling at the Gangneung Dano Festival.

Distinctive Characteristics of Korean Wrestling

Ssireum (or ssirum as it is spelled in the North) is a popular sport that has been practiced across the Korean Peninsula for ages. It is a form of wrestling where participants apply both power and technique to attempt to drive an opponent to the ground. The earliest historical evidence of the Korean wrestling tradition is found on a mural in a fourth-century Goguryeo Kingdom tomb. This ancient wall painting demonstrates how people on the Korean Peninsula practiced wrestling as long as 1,500 years ago. Descriptions of wrestling practices are also contained in textual and pictorial records produced in later periods, attesting to the sustained history of ssireum in Korea.

Wrestling matches could take place in any empty space within a neighborhood. Individual matches were set by age, so any interested member of a community could participate. Among the Baby Wrestling, Bachelors’ Wrestling, and Adults’ Wrestling categories, the eventual winner of the Adults’ Wrestling matches at a tournament could be granted the title Jangsa, or “Man of Great Strength,” and awarded a bull. The Jangsa was honored riding the prize animal around the neighborhood in a celebratory parade. In traditional agrarian society, a bull meant more efficient rice cultivation.

A wrestling match with spectators crowding around the ring

Wrestling matches organized as part of a community festival

Korean wrestling varies in its practices depending on the region and period. However, the wresting traditions transmitted on the Korean Peninsula all have the follow three attributes. First, it features a strap of cloth known as a satba that is wrapped around the thigh and then the waist of a grappler. There are other wrestling traditions around the globe where the trousers may be grasped or a belt is worn around the waist to provide a handhold. Examples with a thigh-and-waist belt like Korean wrestling are rare, however. Its key position in the Korean wrestling tradition is indicated in the occasional use of the name "satba wrestling." Satba wrestling in Korea was known as goryeogi, or “skill of Korea” in China. This indicates that Korean wrestling was considered distinct from the local grappling traditions in China and other neighboring countries, such as Mongolia and Japan. In Korean wrestling, players can apply physical force in diverse ways by using the satba belt for leverage, allowing a physically inferior player to topple a larger opponent. The chance for an unexpected victory by an underdog over a physically superior competitor is a main source of the exhilaration and thrills in satba wrestling.

Second, ssirem has long been practiced as community activity. Wrestling was established in Korea as a seasonal custom related to the annual agricultural cycle. Grappling competitions were organized as a means to help predict the abundance of the harvest in the first lunar month or to call for rain in dry seasons. Wrestling also served to strengthen solidarity among community members in the farming seasons. When the time drew near for the transplanting of rice seedlings, two neighboring villages would challenge each other to wrestling matches to decide which community would get priority for irrigation water from a shared channel. The wrestling practiced on these occasions was considered a matter for the entire community. Ssireum has mainly been practiced as a collective festival enhancing communication and solidarity among community members.

Left: Wrestlers cheer each other up after a match
Right Competitors at the 2017 national wrestling contest known as the Cheonhajangsa Ssireum Championship

Third, Korean wrestling forms an integral part of the national cultural identity. Ssireum is a martial art, popular hobby, and professional sport with an extensive history. After ports were first opened to the outside in the late 19th century, wrestling quickly emerged as a modern sport in Korea and soon captured widespread national attention. During the colonial era from 1910 to 1945, it was called “the national sport of Korea” and helped nurture a collective identity among the people. A diverse vocabulary has developed for wrestling equipment, competition methods, and techniques that draws upon traditional Korean terms. This means that ssireum also plays a role in transmitting traditional Korean language. Ssireum was chosen in a public vote as one of the 100 Cultural Symbols of Korea in 2006 and was designated as National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017.

An Inspiration for the World

The Korean nation long enjoyed its unique wrestling tradition. However, the division of the Korean Peninsula in 1948 with the establishment of separate governments in the North and South created a division in local wrestling practices. Wrestling in North Korea differs from the versions in the South in certain regards, including some of the terminology, weight classes, competition outfits, and conditions for the floor of the match arena. However, satba wrestling still characterizes the tradition in North Korea, and there are few differences in terms of wrestling technique. This means that traditional wrestling still stands as a powerful cultural bridge connecting people in the North and the South.

The joint inscription of traditional Korea wrestling has brought the two Koreas one step closer to reconciliation and peace on the Korean Peninsula. This unprecedented union of the two applications separately submitted by the North and the South and inscribing them as a single cultural heritage element has inspired the global community regarding the potential for cultural heritage in overcoming conflict and building peace. Although the details of the practices are diverse, wrestling traditions are ubiquitous across the globe. This indicates the great potential for intercultural exchanges based on these wrestling traditions. An event bringing together diverse forms of wrestling from across the globe would offer a unique opportunity to appreciate the depth and breadth of human culture.

Wrestling is basically a competition between two people using their bodies alone. The Korean variant involving the satba as an integral element, in particular, allows the application of various techniques while minimizing the risk of physical harm. Ssireum is an exciting and energetic contest centering on a rivalry in power and technique. This wrestling tradition carries both primitive instincts and modern rationalism. It is an important part of our intangible cultural heritage that connects us to both our ancestors and to future generations.