Officials attend a certificate presentation ceremony marking the designation of North Gyeongsang Province cultural heritage assets in Chilgok-gun. [Chilgok-gun]
Officials attend a certificate presentation ceremony marking the designation of North Gyeongsang Province cultural heritage assets in Chilgok-gun. [Chilgok-gun]

Chilgok-gun in North Gyeongsang Province held a certificate presentation ceremony Wednesday at the Chilgok-gun office to mark the official designation of "Chilgok Wanseokjeong and Jeongyeok ilgi" as North Gyeongsang Province cultural heritage assets.

Chilgok-gun Mayor Kim Jae-uk, Lee Seon-ha — the head descendant of the Byeokjin Yi clan's Wanseokjeong branch — and clan association chairman Lee Myeong-gi were among those who attended.

Wanseokjeong, a traditional pavilion in Seokjeon-ri, Waegwan-eup, and the "Jeongyeok ilgi" — a diary documenting the pavilion's relocation — were jointly designated as provincial cultural heritage assets on June 14, following a review and designation screening by the North Gyeongsang Province Cultural Heritage Committee. Chilgok-gun had applied for provincial cultural heritage status in July 2024.

Wanseokjeong was built in 1621 by Yi Eon-yeong (1568–1639), a mid-Joseon civil official and scholar, as a place for self-cultivation and the education of future generations.

The name "Wanseok" means to cleanse oneself of worldly corruption and return to righteousness.

The "Jeongyeok ilgi" is a nine-volume document recording the pavilion's repair and relocation, the individuals involved, and the workings of the local community at the time. It includes receipts and construction contracts related to the renovation work, and scholars consider it an important source for studying provincial aristocratic society and architectural practices during the Joseon period.

"Chilgok Wanseokjeong and the Jeongyeok ilgi are precious cultural heritage assets that together illuminate the Confucian traditions of the Yeongnam region, its pavilion culture, and the history of the local community," a Chilgok-gun official said. "We will continue to raise awareness of the value of local cultural heritage through systematic preservation, management and utilization."


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