Art Foundation To Offer NFTs for Historic Korean Alphabet Manuscript 

The Kansong Art and Culture Foundation is pushing to mint NFTs representing Historic Korean Alphabet Manuscript. The  “Hunminjeongeum” is the building block of the Korean language because it describes its alphabet and details the letters and sounds. 

Korean Alphabet Manuscript NFTs

This marks the first time one of the country’s national treasures is being offered as a digital collectible. The Foundation is planning to have a limited edition sale with only 100 NFTs. The auction will follow a fixed pricing model at 100 Million Won or $86,800 each NFT. Thus, the end goal is to reach 100 Billion won for the projects and initiatives of the Art Foundation. 

“Hunminjeongeum Haerye” is a guidebook that explains why King Sejong invented Hangeul during his reign in the 15th century. It also tackles details on the Korean alphabet. The Korean government designated it as a national treasure in 1962.

Brewing Controversy

Even before the auction, there’s already a brewing controversy between the state-run Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) and the Art Foundation. The main point of contention is the commercial use of a national heritage that holds symbolic value to the nation but belongs to a private art foundation. 

According to CHA, it will examine the legitimacy of the project. In addition, they need to assess the potential effects it could have on the manuscript, including those from exposure to photography. CHA has jurisdiction over making a copy or taking pictures of cultural assets. The government requires approval of CHA because such activities can possibly impact the preservation of the document.

The Art Foundation is not budging. They said, “We think of the NFT project as a new type of sponsorship, rather than hoping for an active commercial trade.” They asserted that their decision is final and motivated by financial constraints.