Comparing different perspectives on e-culture; from a technological and human science... to seek ways of cooperation Built a Common Understandings on Digitizing Cultural Heritages using high-tech IT technology

The 3rd Asian DHX Forum 2006(International forum on digitizing Asian cultural heritages) was held in Harmony Ballroom at COEX Intercontinental Hotel on October 16.

The main theme of the forum is "Cooperation between areas of high-tech IT technology and e-culture from a standpoint of human science". The forum was aimed at comparing e-culture viewed from a technological perspective with one viewed from a human science perspective. In the meeting, experts in each field from both home and abroad made presentations before both sides began discussing the topic.

The forum has made contributions to promoting the exchange of technologies and policies regarding developing digital cultural heritages and international cooperation related to that. That was made possible by the digitalization project for Asian cultural heritages creating a common understanding for the necessity of digitizing cultural heritages using high-tech IT technology and marketing good examples of development of Korean cultural heritages.

Many experts from countries such as Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam including some of the prestigious figures such as Lewis Lancaster, President of University of the West(U.S.) joined the event and showed great interest in the digitization project.

Through his opening speech, Hoick Suck, President of KISDI said that he hoped that the forum would provide an opportunity to overcome disparity in perception between areas of technology and human sciences with regard to the digitalization of cultural heritages, for more effective and efficient combination of the two."

On the same day, Chulwan Kim, Vice President of the International ICT Cooperation Research Division told KBS that "for 3 years KISDI has made efforts to share technological knowhow with the entire world, and currently the level of cooperation is very satisfactory."

The key note speech was delivered by Professor Ikeuchi, President Lewis Lancaster of Tokyo University and Kwangyeon Won of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology(KAIST). They discussed the experiment of using IT technology for reviving digital culture and ways for efficient cooperation for the purpose of studying e-culture in terms of IT and human science.

During the first session which deals mostly with IT technology, Dr. Yongmoo Kwon of the Korean Institute of Science and Technology(KIST) made a presentation on cooperation between Asia and Europe on digital museum, followed by reports on case study on modelling and digitization of cultural heritages using high-tech equipment in Thailand and Malaysia. In particular, the images of Hwang-Yong-Sa and Angkor Wat revived through the 3D animation introduced by Jinho Park, a research associate at KAIST attracted much attention among those who participated in the event. Mr, Lancaster said "I've never seen anything perfectly restored as this one before. It shows the essence of restoration of cultural assets."

The second session centered around activities and researches related to e-culture from a standpoint of human science, defining current status of e-culture and discussing how to develop it using latest technologies. Professor Sato from Japan introduced Open Access(OA), which allows anyone to have access to the internet free of copyright restrictions, and Seung-yong Um of Culture Heritage Administration, explained about the integration of Geologic Information System(GIS) with cultural heritages, calling for a paradigm shift in all things relating to it and the establishment of expert forum regarding policy making.

Meanwhile, all the presenters agreed to continue holding international forums such as the Asian DHX Forum to promote cooperation in the fields of IT and human sciences.