Lost memory and identity: Philosophical consideration of Korean built heritages

The relationship between the history of a country and its cultural heritage can be the analogy of a memory of a person and his/her face. A person´s unconscious daily process of checking the sameness and the change of the face converge on the confirmation of his/her identity. In addition, an actual existence of the physical shape of a visible face not just provides personal identification but also plays a crucial role in identifying other person´s identity. While several studies discussed various components that comprise the face of a country, its cultural heritage would be one of the most upfront factors. In this study, among many cultural heritages, built heritage was chosen and considered as the most important factor based on philosophical rationales. Korea is one of the countries who suffered an enormous loss of its landmark built heritages through numerous wars with its neighbors. Thus, current Korean society has a fundamental problem in bridging the perception of cultural identity and a concrete feeling of such an identity. This paper introduces a variety of related cultural heritage studies and then, based on indepth phenomenological background, introduces the current situations of Korean society in terms of its cultural identity in both internal and external views, and the relationship to its lost built heritages in this era of globalization. Finally, recent restoration project for built heritages in Korea including the 3D digital projects, the meaning and the revealed assignments are introduced in this context. In conclusion, this study contributes to the significant implication on the meaning and relationship between the built heritage and national identity in the particular and unique case in the Republic of Korea.