The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center of the Cultural Heritage Administration manages three World Heritage properties: Jongmyo Shrine, which houses the memorial tablets of the kings and queens of the Joseon Dynasty, the Joseon Royal Tombs, which includes their tombs, and Changdeokgung Palace, which was built in the fifteenth century as a royal residence.

The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center (Acting Director: Shin Sung-hee) is holding the exhibition An Insiders’ View from World Heritage Site Managers on the third floor of the Suwon Convention Center over four days starting September 9.

An Insiders’ View from World Heritage Site Managers features photographs taken by eleven employees of the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center. The photos are unique compared to the shots of buildings and landscapes typically captured by visitors. They provide views from inside the World Heritage properties and of repair and maintenance processes that can only be accessed by site managers. The Outstanding Universal Value of World Heritage is maintained through the efforts of these site managers. Jongmyo Shrine, Changdeokgung Palace, and the Joseon Royal Tombs as seen through the eyes of the site managers who are caring for them every day seem familiar and yet somehow strange and new.

 
Jeong Myeong-sik, a carpenter on the Repair Team directly managed by the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center, is also a professional photographer who has held several exhibitions. His photos taken while repairing royal palaces and tombs offer new insights into these World Heritage properties. The other ten staff members with the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center who have submitted photos assume diverse tasks, including repairs and landscaping of royal palaces and tombs, ensuring the safety of visitors, providing guided tours, performing research, and organizing exhibitions. Although they are not professional photographers, their photos present moments of the beauty of heritage that only those most familiar with it can capture and show the deep affection they hold for their co-workers.

Visitors to the exhibition hall can bring home postcards featuring the exhibited photos as a souvenir. These postcards indicate the sites photographed and record stories related to the moments they were captured. The exhibition will be held over four days from September 9 through September 12. The opening hours are 10:00 to 18:00, and admission is free.