International Educational Preservation of Northern Korean Traditional Body Culture Through MERLOT and KOCW:The Case of Subak and Related Cultural Practices

This paper examines current international preservation and educational initiatives concerning traditional northern Korean body culture, focusing on Subak and related cultural practices including Subak Dance, Mindung Ssireum, and Seokjeon. The study explores how digital educational platforms such as MERLOT and KOCW contribute to the international transmission, academic documentation, and preservation of endangered intangible cultural heritage. The Korea Subak Association, which preserves traditional Subak transmission in Korea, and the World Subak Federation, operating internationally from Wyoming, United States, are developing interconnected educational and archival systems designed to support open-access cultural heritage education. Unlike modern competitive martial sports, these traditions are approached within the framework of body culture, intangible heritage, and community memory. Particular attention is given to the historical continuity of Subak through refugee communities in post-war Busan and the relationship between traditional body culture and modern Korean historical experiences.