Haeinsa’s Tripitaka Koreana, Buseoksa and Dosan Seowon among heritage sites without fire insurance

Haeinsa’s Janggyeong Panjeon, which houses the Tripitaka Koreana and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, has no fire insurance. Neither do major heritage sites including Dosan Seowon in Andong and Buseoksa Temple in Yeongju.

The figures, released by Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Jeong-mun of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, came from data submitted by the Cultural Heritage Administration. Of 33 World Heritage-related sites surveyed, 25 were eligible for fire insurance. Fourteen of them, or 56%, had not taken out coverage.

The insurance gap was particularly wide among Korea’s historic academies. Seven of the nine sites in the “Korean Seowon” World Heritage group, including Oksan, Sosu, Donam, Dosan, Pilam, Dodong and Byeongsan Seowon, were uninsured. Among the “Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in Korea” sites, six, including Buseoksa, Bongjeongsa, Beopjusa, Magoksa, Seonamsa and Daeheungsa, lacked insurance. Tongdosa was the exception.

Coverage was also low among wooden cultural heritage properties designated national treasures or treasures. As of September, 151 of 249 sites were uninsured, putting the enrollment rate at 39.4%. The rate rose slightly from 38.5% in 2022 to 40.2% in 2025, but later fell again.