Mapping Historic Heritage in Jeonju and Wanju, South Korea: A GIS-Based Approach for Education and Public Engagement

Abstract. In this study, spatial analysis was conducted using public GIS data provided by the Korean government, with the analysis targeting 135 designated cultural properties distributed across Jeonju and Wanju in South Korea. The cultural properties registered in this region were classified based on their era, function, and designation grade. Their centrality and functional structure were derived through kernel density analysis. Their distribution by designation grade was visualized. The analysis revealed that Jeonju’s city center is densely populated with religious and administrative heritage from the Joseon Dynasty, while Wanju exhibits a multi-nuclear landscape structure with modern life and industrial heritage scattered throughout. The results led to the design of two exploration routes: an Urban Triangle Route and a Regional Route. It was also suggested that these could be used for cultural heritage education and citizen participation. This analysis showed that interpretive and participatory utilization models can be created using only open spatial data and open-source tools. The potential for developing the research results into a regional cultural heritage interpretation platform was also suggested. Integration with multilingual commentary, generative AI commentary systems, and mobile-based AR content was proposed as the method.