The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (NRICH) has completely revamped its National Heritage Knowledge E-eum portal to make accumulated research achievements and digital resources more accessible and intuitive for all users. This overhaul strengthens the integrated service that provides research results, surveys, and original texts related to national heritage. Notably, a new Documentary Paintings DB featuring 43 high-resolution images of paintings designated as National Treasures or Treasures, along with production dates, specifications, locations, and explanatory notes, has been established. Additionally, an English menu, ‘Artistic Heritage of Korea,’ has been launched to cater to international researchers and foreign users.
The update also includes the latest versions of existing research materials such as epigraphy and the Journal of Korean Archaeology, improving accessibility for researchers. For the first time, the portal introduces Theme Content, including ‘Conservation Treatment of 6 National Treasures/Treasures’—highlighting representative artifacts conserved by the Cultural Heritage Conservation Science Center—and ‘Mabu-jeongje (馬不停蹄),’ which celebrates the Year of the Horse in 2026 by showcasing the flow of ancient horse-related research. The Academic Conference Archive now systematically provides presentation materials and videos from conferences hosted or attended by NRICH, broadening the scope of academic information available.
Alongside the portal overhaul, both the Korean and English NRICH websites have been redesigned for enhanced user interface (UI), improving information layout and accessibility. Director General Lim Jong-deock emphasized NRICH’s commitment to building an open research information gateway accessible to everyone. The institute plans to gradually release more diverse national heritage research outcomes. Furthermore, NRICH aims to continuously expand AI-powered research information services.
This reorganization marks a significant step toward making national heritage research achievements easily accessible to the public. The planned expansion of AI-driven services aligns with Korea’s national agenda of ‘Pioneering World-Class AI Utilization.’ The digitalization and openness of research information are expected to greatly enhance accessibility for both domestic and international researchers, as well as the general public. NRICH is poised to lead the digital transformation and global dissemination of national heritage information.
The portal’s overhaul accelerates the digitalization and openness of national heritage research information. Features like the high-resolution Documentary Paintings DB, theme content, and English menus significantly improve accessibility for both domestic and international audiences. As AI technologies are integrated, intelligent services such as automated classification, search, and recommendation of heritage data will become possible, driving innovation in research and public engagement. This initiative directly supports Korea’s policy goal of leading in digital transformation and AI utilization.