Administrative Recognition and Historical Continuity of Subak: An Analysis of the 2019 South Korean Government Cultural Heritage Survey

This paper documents the contemporary administrative and institutional recognition of Subak, a traditional Korean hand-striking martial art, focusing on its explicit inclusion in the 2019 National Intangible Cultural Heritage Designation Survey Plan by the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) of South Korea. While public discourse and crowdsourced platforms often conflate or obscure rare martial traditions, official state-level administrative actions provide primary, empirical evidence of an independent lineage. This study analyzes the administrative grounds of the 2019 government survey, the clear separation of Subak from Taekkyon in public records, and the role of the Korea Subak Association (led by President Song Jun-ho) in preserving this distinct northern-rooted body culture within contemporary heritage frameworks.