From 1976 the division has investigated and recorded by category both traditional performing arts including drama, music, dance, rituals, and games, as well as traditional skills including handicrafts techniques and cuisine. Reports on all these studies have been released. With the increasing diversification of recording medium, from 2002 various methods have been used to record traditional clothing and food in text and image in an effort to conduct comprehensive field recording of intangible cultural heritage, and carry out empirical research.

Intangible Cultural Heritage Policy

The policy and legal basis for Korean intangible cultural heritage was established in 1962 with the enactment of the Cultural Heritage Protection Act. Starting with the designation of Jongmyo Jeryeak (Confucian ceremonial music for the ancestral rites held at Jongmyo, the royal shrine of Joseon) Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 1 in 1964, a total of 214 people in 109 different areas have been designated title holders of Important Intangible Cultural Property. The policy on intangible cultural heritage plays an important role in helping these people and related organizations to hand down traditional Korean culture from generation to generation.

Jongmyo Jeryeak - Important Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 1

The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage conducts nationwide research on traditional music. It has so far published 15 reports on pansori (narrative song), sanjo (string solo with drum accompaniment), hyangje-pungryu (local music), minyo (folk songs) samhyeon-yukgak (traditional ensemble of three wind instruments and six percussion instruments). The NRICH has also published The Classification of Korean Classical Music Data based on research projects carried out on-site since 1960 for archiving data on traditional music. The most recent research project is the shaman music of Jejudo Island, as very little research has been been carried out on the island��s folk and shaman music, aside from the Chilmeoridang-gut, a shamanic ritual at Chilmeoridang, a shrine dedicated to the island��s guardian deity for woman divers and fishermen. Research was conducted on Jejudo��s shamanic traditions from 2002 to 2003, and the research report was published in 2004.

Research on traditional dance was carried out in two areas: mu-mu, or shamanic dance, and gibing-mu, or dance by professional female entertainers. Research on shamanic dance was conducted and published in 1984 and 1985, the resulting report covering the types and movements of the shamanic dance of each region. As for gibang-mu, some of the dances have evolved into dances for stage performance, so related research was divided into two separate projects. The first project (1988-1990) covered seung-mu (monk��s dance) and salpuri-chum (exorcist��s dance), while the second project covered ip-chum (prelude dance), hallyang-chum (dance of the man of leisure), and geom-mu (sword dance). The research reports were published according to region.

The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage published reports on research of gut-nori (shaman play) from 1988 to 1990 and on jangrye-nori (funeral play) from 1992 to 1993. In 2001, research findings on Buddhist folk plays were published under the title Comprehensive Research on Korean Folklore. The research report on gut-nori was divided into mu-gut (shamanic rites), yeonhui-gut (village ritual with folk plays), and jeui-gut (communal ritual for dispelling evil spirits) of different regions, while the research report on jangrye-nori included the funeral rituals of Gyeongsangnam-do and Chungcheong-do provinces such as sangyeo-sori (pallbearers�� dirge).The research report on Buddhist folk plays describes the religious and historical aspects of folk plays that are influenced by Buddhism, such as hogi-nori (children��s collection of donations from neighbors to buy paper lanterns just before Buddha's birthday) and tap-dori (pagoda circling)

Research projects on traditional crafts were carried out in order to preserve and hand down endangered traditional crafts, such as woodcraft (1996-1997), metal craft (1982-1984), wood lacquer ware (1985-1987), textile craft (1988-1991), and straw craft (1992-1995). The report covers historical changes and manufacturing procedures as well as plans for passing on craft traditions to the next generation.

There are many different types of traditional rituals in the Korean way of life. The NRICH is studying and recording traditional Korean rituals such as ancestral rituals, Buddhist services, and shaman rituals (gut) that are embedded in the everyday lives of Koreans. A research project titled ��Traditional Rituals and Foods�� has been under way since 2002 to study the cultural aspects of ritual procedures and foods. The findings have been recorded in written reports and videos.