ICH Courier

Tug-of-war is a universal cultural phenomenon found globally. In Asia, particularly, it is an important ritual closely linked to rice farming, predominantly concentrated in the agricultural regions of Northeast and Southeast Asia. A prevalent ritual deeply embedded in agricultural communities for invoking rain, predicting bountiful harvests, or divining the year’s fortune, traditional Asian tug-of-war, shares the fundamental characteristic of two teams pulling a rope against each other. However, it also possesses unique characteristics, distinctiveness, and creativity influenced by climate and environment, making it a highly valuable shared intangible cultural heritage of Asia worthy of safeguarding.

Recognizing the shared nature and unique aspects of Asian tug-of-war, representatives from Cambodia, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, and Vietnam held several meetings and discussions in 2013. Through these efforts, they collaboratively prepared a single nomination file for inscription on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity under the title Tugging Rituals and Games. On March 31, 2014, the Government of the Republic of Korea, on behalf of the four countries, submitted the file to the Secretariat of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The joint nomination of Tugging Rituals and Games was inscribed on the List on December 2, 2015, during the 10th session of the Intergovernmental Committee in Windhoek, Namibia.
The inscription of Tugging Rituals and Games on this List sparked an enthusiastic response in each country. The joint inscription was featured prominently in the media across all nations, and Vietnam specifically selected it as one of its top ten cultural news stories of late 2015. The Republic of Korea, which spearheaded the joint inscription, launched commemorative projects including exhibitions of tug-of-war from the four countries and the publication of books in Korean and English.

Community leaders from four countries share their tugging traditions at the 10th Anniversary Special Meeting in 2025.

Meanwhile, the Korean Traditional Tug-of-War Preservation Association, established in November 2014 just before the joint inscription to foster solidarity among tug-of-war communities, has been actively engaged in post-inscription activities. Domestically, the association visited various communities to conduct training and exchange events. Their international outreach included visits to tug-of-war communities in Vietnam in 2018 and the Philippines in 2019. Notably, in 2019, Vietnam’s tug-of-war community made a reciprocal visit to Korea, igniting a new phase of international exchange among the communities.

While COVID-19 significantly curtailed their activities, the four nations came together virtually in 2021 to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the joint inscription. With the pandemic subsiding, in-person community exchanges reignited in 2023. A notable highlight occurred in April 2024, when, supported by Dangjin City, representatives from all four countries convened at the Gijisi Tug-of-War Festival. Here, they showcased their distinct tug-of-war traditions, marking a full recommencement of exchange activities. The community representatives at the festival also exchanged information about their upcoming 10th-anniversary events planned for 2025 in their respective nations, agreeing to leverage these occasions to further invigorate community exchanges.

The first exchange event celebrating the 10th anniversary of the joint inscription of Tugging Rituals and Games took place from April 10 to 13, for four days, at the 2025 Gijisi Tug-of-War Festival in Dangjin City. Representatives from Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, along with delegates from the Kampong Kong, Kampong Kdei, Teanh Prot communities, representatives from the Philippines’ National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Hungduan Municipality in Ifugao Province, with delegates from the Punnuk community, representatives from the Center for Research and Promotion of Cultural Heritage (CCH) under the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association of Vietnam, and delegates from five regional Vietnamese Keo Co communities including Long Bien, Xuan Lai, Lao Cai, Huu Chap, and Huong Canh, all participated alongside eight member organizations of the Korean Traditional Tug-of-War Preservation Association, including Yeongsan, Gijisi (Dangjin), Samcheok, Gamnae (Miryang), Uiryeong, Ulsan, Yeongwol, and Cheongdo.

The Gijisi Tug-of-War Festival launches at Guksabong Mountain, where the village’s guardian deity is enshrined. On the afternoon of April 10, the villagers of Gijisi gathered at Guksabong to perform a village ritual (Dang-je) in the order of Confucian, Buddhist, and shamanistic rites. Afterward,
a procession carrying the guardian deity proceeded to the village well to perform a sea god ritual (Yongwang-je). This procession returned to the old market site to continue with the shaman performances to complete the village ritual.
Upon their early morning arrival in Korea, tug-of-war community representatives from Cambodia, the Philippines, and Vietnam settled into their accommodations before collectively observing Korea’s traditional tug-of-war rituals.
The opening ceremony of the 2025 Gijisi Tug-of-War Festival, held on the evening of April 11, was dedicated to celebrating the 10th anniversary of the joint Tugging Rituals and Games inscription. Prior to the opening ceremony, an international conference, ‘Four Nations and One Shared Heritage: A Decade of Achievements and Future Prospects for Safeguarding Tugging Rituals and Games,’ was hosted by Dangjin City and organized by ICHCAP to commemorate
the 10th anniversary of the joint inscription. The conference brought together stakeholders who were engaged in the original inscription a decade ago, alongside current UNESCO and government officials responsible for intangible heritage.

Together, they reflected on the past 10 years of the Tugging Rituals and Games joint inscription. Discussions also centered on sustainable collaborative efforts for the next decade, while reaffirming the significance of shared heritage and joint inscription as a UNESCO initiative.

On the following day, April 12, a successful demonstration event featured tug-of-war teams from the four countries.
These included Korea’s teams from Ulsan, Miryang, and Samcheok, alongside participants representing Cambodia’s Teanh Prot, the Philippines’ Punnuk, and Vietnam’s Keo Co. Held in the festival’s main square, this exchange event also showcased intangible heritage performances from each nation, such as Cambodian masked dance (Lakhon Khol) and Filipino traditional dances.
Finally, on the afternoon of April 13, representatives and institutional officials from the tug-of-war communities of Cambodia, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, and Vietnam all joined forces to move the enormous Gijisi rope from its manufacturing site to the festival grounds and then collectively pulled the rope to determine a winner. Resembling a giant centipede, the Gijisi rope is colossal, requiring approximately one thousand people for its movement.
The tug-of-war communities from Cambodia, the Philippines and Vietnam, together with the tug-of-war community from Republic of Korea, pulled the colossal rope – creating a sense of unity.
The 10th-anniversary celebrations for the joint inscription of Tugging Rituals and Games are set to continue. Events commemorating this decade of shared heritage are scheduled for 2025: in the Philippines in July, Vietnam in November, and Cambodia in December. Since the joint inscription of Tugging Rituals and Games 10 years ago, the visibility of Asian tug-of-war, as an intangible cultural heritage based on ricefarming culture, has significantly increased, and  onsiderable changes have occurred within the tug-of-war communities in each country that preserve this heritage.
First, the understanding of tug-of-war as an intangible cultural heritage has broadened. Specifically, news articles detailing the public schedule of these heritage events before and after each community’s tug-of-war festival have directly fueled an increase in tourism demand.
Second, a substantial body of information and data on tugofwar is continuously being amassed. Dangjin City and the Giijisi Tug-of-War Museum have been pivotal in this effort. Even prior to the inscription, they diligently produced and collected diverse records, including academic papers, photographs, and videos, through comprehensive surveys and symposiums on tug-of-war’s status. They have since persisted in their efforts to acquire more detailed information and highquality resources concerning the communities from each participating country.
Third, this wealth of tug-of-war information and data is inspiring the creation of various events and related content. Special tug-of-war exhibitions and outdoor photo displays have been organized in multiple countries, and numerous publications dedicated to Tugging Rituals and Games are actively being released.
Fourth, and arguably the most profound effect of the joint tug-of-war inscription, is the transformation within the tug-ofwar communities themselves. Previously, these communities safeguarded their tug-of-war traditions in relative isolation within their local societies. However, since the joint inscription, their activities have evolved, establishing both domestic and international networks and forging alliances dedicated to the safeguarding of tug-of-war. ICH