Between 3 May and 31 July 2026, Jinyoung Seo from the International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO (ICHCAP) joined the UNESCO Chair on Intangible Cultural Heritage in Public and Global Governance at the University of Warsaw as a Visiting Scholar.
During these three months, the programme took her from local and municipal approaches to living heritage in Warsaw to international UNESCO cooperation, combining academic exchange, institutional networking, policy observation, public engagement and direct encounters with living heritage in Poland and beyond. Her professional activities extended across Poland, France and Finland.
Jinyoung contributed actively to the work of our Chair and its wider network. She introduced ICHCAP and its work to University of Warsaw students, presented Korean perspectives on culinary intangible cultural heritage, chaired a session during the international seminar “Language as a Vehicle of Intangible Cultural Heritage”, participated in the work of the Warsaw Intangible Cultural Heritage Team, and joined UNESCO meetings in Paris. She also took part in field-based activities in Warsaw, Kraków and Kazimierz Dolny and delivered a lecture on Akgijang, Korea’s traditional musical-instrument-making heritage, during the Kaustinen ICH Academy in Finland.
For us, the visit was above all an opportunity for genuine exchange of perspectives, knowledge and experience. It created new connections between Korean, Polish and broader international approaches to intangible cultural heritage and opened up promising directions for future cooperation between ICHCAP and our UNESCO Chair. The report itself identifies possibilities ranging from recurring knowledge exchange and comparative work on urban ICH governance to further dialogue on culinary heritage and traditional music and instrument making.
We are extremely grateful to Jinyoung Seo for three months full of conversations, ideas, shared experiences and engagement. It was a real pleasure to have her with us in Warsaw and to accompany her through such a rich programme of academic, institutional and field activities.
Thank you, Jinyoung, for being part of our team — and we very much hope that this is only the beginning of many future collaborations.
Read the full Visiting Scholar Activity Report below
The report provides a detailed overview of the 90-day programme, its activities and outcomes, as well as reflections and possible directions for future cooperation between ICHCAP and the UNESCO Chair on Intangible Cultural Heritage in Public and Global Governance.
