1. Traditional Korean paper, "hanji," will be used in the restoration of Pope John XXIII’s globe housed at a museum dedicated to the Pope in Bergamo, Italy.

2. The Foreign Ministry, drawing upon the fact that hanji is excellent material for the preservation and restoration of ancient documents and paintings, has held a series of promotional events on hanji in Rome and Milan, Italy.

◦ In particular, leading restorers of Italy and other European countries who attended the “hanji workshop” held by the Consulate-General of the Republic of Korea in Milan in June 2014 voluntarily formed a hanji club called the “Group 130◦,” continuing restoration work with hanji and actively promoting the paper in Italy and other European countries.

3. With the Vatican Museum in the Holy See also demonstrating interest in hanji, an international conference on the use of hanji for restoration will take place at the museum on May 8 with the support of the ROK Embassies in Italy and the Holy See as well as Consulate-General in Milan.

4. The European interest in restoring cultural property with hanji, as demonstrated by the planned restoration of Pope John XXIII’s globe, is seen as a result of the Foreign Ministry winning Europeans’ hearts through public diplomacy activities to promote hanji, part of Korean heritage.

5. The Foreign Ministry will continue to promote the excellence of hanji and Korean culture and actively support the entry of hanji into the European market. In particular, hanji, through its use for foreign cultural assets, is expected to help promote Korean culture more widely in the international community, thereby becoming an important cultural asset for use in the ROK’s public diplomatic activities.


                     Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

* unofficial translation