National Treasures of Korea

National Treasure
The Buddha statue at Seokguram Grotto, the 24th South Korean national treasure.
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised Romanization	Gukbo
McCune–Reischauer	Kukpo

A National Treasure (국보; 國寶 : gugbo) is a tangible treasure, artifact, site, or building which is recognized by the South Korean government as having exceptional artistic, cultural and historical value to the country. The title is one of the eight State-designated heritage assigned by the administrator of the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) in accordance with the Cultural Heritage Protection Act after deliberation by the Cultual Heritage Committee.

Many of the national treasures are popular tourist destinations such as Jongmyo royal ancestral shrine, Bulguksa, Seokguram, and Tripitaka Koreana at Haeinsa. As of January 2017, there are 320 distinct entries on the list, some composed of a large number of sub-entries. The treasures are numbered according to the order in which they were designated not according to their individual value.

The National Treasures are designated within the heritage preservation system of the country.

The first list of Korean cultural treasures was designated by Governor-General of Korea in 1938 during the Japanese occupation with "The Act of Treasures of the Joseon dynasty".

In 1955, the South Korean government declared as National Treasures the items previously on the Korean Treasures Preservation Order issued during Japan's occupation of Korea. The current list dates to December 20, 1962, when the Cultural Protection Act was enacted by the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction. There were 116 items on the "National Treasures" list at that time, with others designated as "Treasures".

Numerous amendments have been made to the list since that time, most recently in 2004.

Living National Treasure are holders, or keepers of Intangible Cultural Property.