Korea Heritage Service Proposes Registering Provisional Assembly Documents as Cultural Heritage

The Korea Heritage Service has given advance notice that four documents of the Provisional Assembly of the Republic of Korea will be added to the state register of cultural heritage, among them the resignation petition of the cabinet minister Yi Dong-nyeong. The notice, 국가유산청공고 제2026-0543호, was published in the Official Gazette (관보) No. 21340 of 15 October 2026, in the notices section, p. 296.

A registration under the modern heritage law

The advance notice was issued by the Administrator of the Korea Heritage Service under Article 6 of the Act on the Preservation and Utilization of Modern and Contemporary Cultural Heritage (「근현대문화유산의 보존 및 활용에 관한 법률」). It is a preliminary step: the heritage is announced as a candidate for state-registered cultural heritage, and registration follows the comment period.

The set is dated 1932 to 1937, the years in which the provisional government in exile ran its administration and its finances. The documents are owned by the Seok-o Yi Dong-nyeong Memorial Hall and are kept in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do, at 동리4길 35, Mokcheon-eup, Dongnam-gu.

The four documents

• 「청원서」 — the resignation petition (사직청원서) of Yi Dong-nyeong, a member of the State Council (국무위원) of the provisional government.
• 「추인안 제출의 건」 — the cover document submitting the ratification bill (추인안) for the regulations of the Military Committee (군사위원회).
• 「세입세출결산안 제출의 건」 — the cover document submitting the settlement of revenue and expenditure.
• 「세입세출예산안 제출의 건」 — the cover document submitting the budget of revenue and expenditure.

The four items measure 28.6 × 39.0 cm each and were produced between 1932 and 1937.

Why the service proposes the addition

The Korea Heritage Service states that the four items together show the conduct of state affairs and the real state of the finances of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, giving the material high historical value.

Three of the four cover documents correspond to the “attached documents” (Military Committee regulations, settlement and budget) held within the 「대한민국임시의정원 문서」 already on the register. The service says the addition is intended to complete the record group and to allow it to be preserved and used systematically.

Thirty days for public comment

• Notice date: 15 October 2026.
• Comment period: 30 days from the date of publication in the Official Gazette.
• Who may comment: any institution, organization or individual holding a differing view.
• How to comment: a written opinion in free form, by post or fax, or posted on the Korea Heritage Service website (www.khs.go.kr) under “국가유산 지정예고”.
• Contact: Korea Heritage Service, Modern and Contemporary Heritage Division, Government Complex Daejeon Building 1, 189 Cheongsa-ro, Seo-gu, Daejeon (35208); telephone (042) 481-4912 and 4913; fax (042) 481-4927.

The notice is signed by the Administrator of the Korea Heritage Service and dated 15 October 2026.

For historians of the independence movement and for the public, the proposal places the paperwork of the exiled government — its military rules, its budgets and the resignation of one of its senior figures — inside the state register, where it becomes a protected record rather than a private archive. The 30-day window is the only point at which objections can be filed before registration is decided.

Source: 관보 (Official Gazette of the Republic of Korea), No. 21340, 15 October 2026, notices, p. 296 (official reference: 국가유산청공고 제2026-0543호).