우리나라와 같이 농업사회가 급속하게 산업화․도시화되고, 사회 전체가 서구화되는 환경에서 전통문화유산, 특히 무형의 유산을 온전히 지키고 후손에게 전승하는 일은 매우 힘든 일이다. 때문에 문화재보호 업무를 관장하는 중앙부처를 두고 있고, 무형문화재의 특성을 감안하여 기예능보유자, 즉 인간문화재를 선정하여 운영하고 있다. 이와 같은 제도는 무형유산의 보존․전승에 큰 역할을 하였지만 몇 몇 문제점이 나타나기도 하였다. 이외에 문화재로 지정되지는 않았으나 보존이 필요한 무형유산들이 전국적으로 산재해 있고, 이들이 지금도 계속해서 사라져가고 있는 점도 해결해야할 숙제로 부각되고 있다. 이러한 문제점은 충청북도 지역에서도 유사하게 나타나고 있다. 충북지역의 토속민요의 전승현황과 제기되는 문제점, 이에 대한 여러 가지 대책은 다음과 같이 정리할 수 있다. 제기된 문제점은 ‘농요의 선율 변형’, ‘보존회원간의 갈등’, ‘전승교육의 부실화’, ‘전승지역의 도시화’, ‘무형문화재 관련 법규의 미흡’의 6가지이다. 이러한 문제점들은 기능보유자나 기능보유단체가 스스로 해결하기 힘들고 외부의 도움이 필요하다. 농요의 선율 변형과 기능보유자간의 기능에 관한 상반된 주장에 의한 갈등과 같은 문제점에 대한 해결책은 기능보유자와 보존단체에 대한 정기 검사를 하고, 그 결과를 토대로 감독기관의 행정 조치가 이루어지도록 하는 것이다. 정기검사를 시행하기 위한 문화재보호법의 조항을 수정․보완해야 한다. 농촌마을의 도시화에 따른 무형문화재의 보존․전승의 어려움도 문화재보호법 제3조 ①항의 “2. 도지정문화재 및 문화재자료의 보호물 또는 보호구역의 지정과 그 해제.”의 내용을 준용함으로써 해결될 수 있을 것이다. 즉 문화재위원회의 의결을 거쳐서 해당 지역을 보호지역으로 지정하고, 농요 보존을 위하여 필요한 대지 지분을 도나 시․군에서 매입해야 한다. 충청북도에서 시행하고 있는 무형문화재 기록화사업이 원형을 온전히 기록하기 위해서는 관련 전문가 1~2명이 사업을 전담하여 진행시키는 방식을 지양하고, 도 문화재위원회와 전문가들의 사전 조사와 원형에 대한 토론을 거친 다음에 사업계획을 마련해야 하며, 그에 철저한 감수가 실시되어 한다. 또한 이와 같은 내용을 기록화사업 시행규칙에 규정하여 제도화시킬 필요가 있다. 도 지정 문화재로 지정되지 않은 토속민요들의 대한 보존․전승 작업은 현지 조사를 통하여 채록․채보하고 음원자료를 확보하여 데이터베이스화하는 작업이 시급히 시행되어야 하며, 이를 위하여 사업추진위원회를 조직하고 산하에 실무 전문 인력이 확보하는 등의 제도적 장치도 마련되어야 한다. 마지막으로 우리 사회의 무형문화재의 중요성에 인식의 제고가 필요하다. 유형의 문화유산의 보존에 대해서는 사회적으로 공감대가 형성되어 있어서 박물관 등 여러 기관과 학자들이 발굴하고 수집하며, 보존하는 작업을 오랜 기간에 걸쳐서 해왔고, 상당한 성과를 이루고 있다. 그러나 무형 유산의 보존과 전승에 대해서는 사회적으로 아직 인식이 부족하고, 관련 전문가들도 부족하다. 이에 대한 제고가 필요하다고 하겠다.

In an environment like South Korea where the agricultural community has undergone rapid industrialization and urbanization with the entire society becoming westernized, it should be very difficult to keep intact the traditional cultural heritage, especially the intangible assets, and hand it down to the posterity. Therefore, the national government has related offices in charge of protecting cultural assets, considering the characteristics of the intangible cultural assets thus selecting and managing persons with technology or artistic faculty, that is, human cultural assets. While such a program has played a major role in preserving and transmitting the intangible cultural assets, it has also revealed some problems. The nationwide presence and continued disappearance of the intangible assets that are not designated as cultural assets and need protection loom as an issue that requires solutions. Such questions find similar instances in Chungcheongbuk-do. The practice and questions in combination with suggested solutions in the transmission of folksongs in Chungcheongbuk-do may be summarized as follows. The six questions posed are the transformation of the melody of farmer's songs, the conflict among preservation society members, the urbanization of the areas where transmission takes place, weakening of transmission education, the neglected management of the activities related to transmission and preservation, and the insufficient legal provision for the intangible cultural assets. Solving such problems daunts artisans or their groups and thus should require external support. In this light, five of the six questions may be solved by supplementing the municipal ordinances related to intangible cultural assets. Such issues as the transformation of the melody of farmer’s songs, the standardization of performance forms, and the conflicts deriving from opposed positions on the role of artisans should be addressed by conducting regular inspection of artisans and preservation societies and enforcing administrative measures based on its results. For the implementation of regular inspections, the clauses of Cultural Heritage Protection Act must be amended and supplemented. The difficulty of preserving and transmitting the intangible cultural assets in the wake of the urbanization of farming communities can be addressed by applying mutatis mutandis Article 3, Clause 1, Section 2: “Designation and release as protected objects or zones of provincial cultural assets and cultural heritage materials.” In other words, through a decision of Cultural Properties Committee, the areas in question should be designated as protected zones and the portions of the site needed for the preservation of farmer's songs should be purchased by a province, a city, or a county. In order that the project for recording the intangible cultural assets now conducted by Chungcheongbuk-do may succeed in maintaining their original forms, its exclusive implementation by a couple of related specialists should be avoided, while prior investigation and discussion of the original conditions involving the provincial Cultural Properties Committee and other experts should come up with a project plan followed by its thorough inspection. And for the institutionalization of such a process, it needs to be specified in the enforcement regulations for the recording project. As for the work of preserving and transmitting those folksongs that are not yet designated as provincial cultural assets, the building of a database based on the sound sources secured recorded through on-site investigation must be realized first, and for this purpose, institutional support must come in the form of the creation of a project implementation committee with a subordinate professional staff. Finally, the public awareness must be heightened with regard to the significance of the intangible cultural assets in the country. A society-wide consensus is established concerning the preservation of the tangible cultural assets, so institutions including museums have long worked with scholars in uncovering, collecting, and preserving them, with considerable outcomes. As to the preservation and transmission of the intangible cultural assets, however, there is yet insufficient public awareness, while related professionals come short. Further support should be given to this part.

In an environment like South Korea where the agricultural community has undergone rapid industrialization and urbanization with the entire society becoming westernized, it should be very difficult to keep intact the traditional cultural heritage, especially the intangible assets, and hand it down to the posterity. Therefore, the national government has related offices in charge of protecting cultural assets, considering the characteristics of the intangible cultural assets thus selecting and managing persons with technology or artistic faculty, that is, human cultural assets. While such a program has played a major role in preserving and transmitting the intangible cultural assets, it has also revealed some problems. The nationwide presence and continued disappearance of the intangible assets that are not designated as cultural assets and need protection loom as an issue that requires solutions. Such questions find similar instances in Chungcheongbuk-do. The practice and questions in combination with suggested solutions in the transmission of folksongs in Chungcheongbuk-do may be summarized as follows. The six questions posed are the transformation of the melody of farmer's songs, the conflict among preservation society members, the urbanization of the areas where transmission takes place, weakening of transmission education, the neglected management of the activities related to transmission and preservation, and the insufficient legal provision for the intangible cultural assets. Solving such problems daunts artisans or their groups and thus should require external support. In this light, five of the six questions may be solved by supplementing the municipal ordinances related to intangible cultural assets. Such issues as the transformation of the melody of farmer’s songs, the standardization of performance forms, and the conflicts deriving from opposed positions on the role of artisans should be addressed by conducting regular inspection of artisans and preservation societies and enforcing administrative measures based on its results. For the implementation of regular inspections, the clauses of Cultural Heritage Protection Act must be amended and supplemented. The difficulty of preserving and transmitting the intangible cultural assets in the wake of the urbanization of farming communities can be addressed by applying mutatis mutandis Article 3, Clause 1, Section 2: “Designation and release as protected objects or zones of provincial cultural assets and cultural heritage materials.” In other words, through a decision of Cultural Properties Committee, the areas in question should be designated as protected zones and the portions of the site needed for the preservation of farmer's songs should be purchased by a province, a city, or a county. In order that the project for recording the intangible cultural assets now conducted by Chungcheongbuk-do may succeed in maintaining their original forms, its exclusive implementation by a couple of related specialists should be avoided, while prior investigation and discussion of the original conditions involving the provincial Cultural Properties Committee and other experts should come up with a project plan followed by its thorough inspection. And for the institutionalization of such a process, it needs to be specified in the enforcement regulations for the recording project. As for the work of preserving and transmitting those folksongs that are not yet designated as provincial cultural assets, the building of a database based on the sound sources secured recorded through on-site investigation must be realized first, and for this purpose, institutional support must come in the form of the creation of a project implementation committee with a subordinate professional staff. Finally, the public awareness must be heightened with regard to the significance of the intangible cultural assets in the country. A society-wide consensus is established concerning the preservation of the tangible cultural assets, so institutions including museums have long worked with scholars in uncovering, collecting, and preserving them, with considerable outcomes. As to the preservation and transmission of the intangible cultural assets, however, there is yet insufficient public awareness, while related professionals come short. Further support should be given to this part.

preservation, farmer's song, the traditional cultural heritage, cultural assets, the intangible assets, human cultural assets, Cultural Properties Committee, Cultural Heritage Protection Act, cultural heritage materials, zones of provincial cultural assets