China Designates Arirang and Pansori as Its Cultural Heritage, Sparking Backlash Over Cultural Distortion

Controversy has erupted after it was revealed that China has been distorting history by designating South Korea's representative traditional cultures, such as Arirang and Pansori, as its own cultural heritage.

Professor Seo Kyoung-duk of Sungshin Women's University took to social media to address the recent controversy surrounding China's designation of Korean traditional cultural heritage, citing a research report by the National Heritage Administration titled "Comprehensive Research on Response to China's Cultural Engineering Regarding Korean Traditions."

According to the report, there are a total of 24 cases in which traditional cultures related to ethnic Koreans in China's three northeastern provinces have been designated as China's "National-Level Intangible Cultural Heritage."

The designated list extensively includes a wide range of unique Korean folk cultures, including Arirang and Pansori, Chuseok, kimchi-making techniques, ssireum (traditional wrestling), the changgo dance, crane dance, nongakmu (farmers' dance), gayageum, traditional clothing, and hwangaplye (60th birthday celebration ceremonies).

The level of historical distortion is also at a serious stage.

Professor Seo pointed out, "The photo of the Arirang sign installed in Zhongxing Village, Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province within the report is truly shocking."

The sign reportedly contains an absurd claim that Arirang originated from songs sung by people who migrated from the Chinese mainland to the Korean Peninsula after Emperor Wu of China's Han Dynasty established the Four Commanderies of Han, as they longed for their hometowns.

Professor Seo criticized, "This explanation suggests it originated from songs of immigrants who crossed over from China, emphasizing that it was originally Chinese culture."

He added, "This reveals the reality of China's 'cultural engineering,'" and emphasized, "Against this backdrop, active response from our government is needed."

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Jang Yu-jin | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.