The National Heritage Administration (Director Heo Min) held a Cultural Heritage Committee meeting on December 16th (Tuesday) at 1:30 PM and decided to register the ‘Seoul Donggyo-dong Kim Dae-jung House’ located in Donggyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul as a national registered cultural heritage.
The ‘Seoul Donggyo-dong Kim Dae-jung House’ is a symbolically important space for the democratization movement in modern and contemporary Korean history, where the late President Kim Dae-jung lived from 1963. The current building was newly constructed in 2002 after demolishing the existing building in preparation for his retirement, and it served as his residence from retirement until his death, combining public, private, and security functions.
Meanwhile, the National Heritage Administration decided to designate the ‘nameplate and gate’ and the ‘second-floor living space’ of the main house as essential preservation elements with the consent of the owner to preserve the cultural heritage value of the ‘Seoul Donggyo-dong Kim Dae-jung House’. The ‘nameplate and gate’ with the names of the late President Kim Dae-jung and his wife symbolize his philosophy on improving women’s status, and the ‘second-floor living space’ of the main house, which includes a study and bedroom, retains the living aspects of the President, making it highly valuable for preservation.
The National Heritage Administration will systematically preserve, manage, and utilize the ‘Seoul Donggyo-dong Kim Dae-jung House’ in cooperation with the local government and the owner. Additionally, it plans to continue proactive administration by discovering and registering modern and contemporary cultural heritage in various fields.