Korea Heritage Service Preliminarily Designates Four Buddhist Treasures

The Korea Heritage Service (국가유산청) has announced the preliminary designation of four Buddhist cultural assets as national Treasures (보물), in a notice published in the Republic of Korea Official Gazette on 3 September 2026. The decision, issued under Notice No. 2026-0491 and signed by the head of the Korea Heritage Service, follows an assessment that the four items merit national designation under Article 11(4) of the Enforcement Decree of the Cultural Heritage Act.

The notice opens a public consultation window, inviting opinions on the proposed designations before they are finalised. The four candidates span sculpture, painting, metalwork and printed scripture, and are held by temples and museums across the country.

The four candidates

• Pyeongchang Sangwonsa Sakyamuni Triad and Sixteen Arhats ensemble with reliquary deposits — 21 statues and 30 items (34 pieces) of reliquary deposits, Joseon dynasty, owned by the Jogye Order’s Sangwonsa (kept at the Woljeongsa Seongbo Museum).
• Suncheon Songgwangsa Fifty-Three Buddhas painting — seven Buddhist paintings and 17 items (31 pieces) of reliquary deposits, dated 1725, owned by the Jogye Order’s Songgwangsa and, for one panel, the state (National Museum of Korea).
• Gongju Magoksa bronze bell — one bell, total height 105.0 cm and mouth diameter 75.4 cm, dated 1654, owned by the Jogye Order’s Magoksa.
• Bulgjeongsim Dharani Sutra (Chinese and Korean-glossed versions) — six volumes in one book, dated 1485, owned by Seoul National University (kept at its Central Library).

Sculptures and paintings

The Sangwonsa ensemble, currently housed at the Woljeongsa Seongbo Museum, was originally enshrined at Unboksa in Yecheon, Gyeongbuk, before being moved to Sangwonsa around 1885–1886 and re-gilded with royal funds. The stucco statues share stylistic traits with late-15th-century works, while the wooden statues made in 1711 are attributed to the previously little-known sculptor Hyeju; a 1467 dharani found in the reliquary helps date the group.

The Songgwangsa painting, a rare complete set of the Fifty-Three Buddhas, was produced in 1725 under the master painter Uigyeom and 26 assistants. Its intact composition, clear enshrinement site and dated production make it a key example of late-Joseon Fifty-Three Buddhas devotion and of Uigyeom’s distinctive style.

Bell and sutra

The Magoksa bell, cast in 1654 by the monk-founders Boeun, Beophyeon and Minhwa, was originally made for Angoksa and later moved to Magoksa. Its casting inscription records the date, original site, donors and founders, and it is noted for a unique depiction of a monk venerating a bodhisattva.

The Bulgjeongsim Dharani Sutra combines a Chinese woodblock edition printed in 1485 under Queen Insu and a Korean-glossed edition printed in 1455 with metal type. No other designated example combines both versions as original impressions, giving the volume particular bibliographic value.

What designation means

Treasure designation places the four assets under systematic state protection, enabling conservation, research and management. The public may submit opinions during the consultation period, after which the Korea Heritage Service will finalise the designations, strengthening the legal and scholarly standing of these Buddhist works for future generations.

Source: Republic of Korea Official Gazette (대한민국 관보), 3 September 2026, Notices section (official reference: 국가유산청공고 제2026-0491호).