The Pagodas of the Mireuksa Temple Site: Interpretations and Presentations of Three Memories of Cultural Heritage in a Single Site

This study examines the three pagodas of the Mireuksa Temple Site—the West, East, and Wooden Pagodas—to analyze how material evidence, cultural memory, and representation shape authenticity in architectural heritage. The research aims to clarify how different conservation strategies, including authentic restoration, speculative reconstruction, and digital mediation, influence the construction and communication of cultural memory. Methodologically, the study employs a comparative case analysis grounded in archival research, archaeological records, field observations, and interpretive analysis of digital media practices. The findings indicate three distinct patterns: (1) the West Pagoda demonstrates that evidence-based restoration can maintain both material and historical authenticity; (2) the East Pagoda shows that reconstructions based on limited evidence tend to generate visually convincing yet historically uncertain representations; and (3) the Wooden Pagoda illustrates that digital mediation can effectively communicate lost heritage, but only when its speculative nature is made transparent to the public. The most significant result is that authenticity cannot be defined solely by material survival but must be evaluated through the ethical and transparent communication of historical uncertainty. Based on these insights, the study proposes a conceptual framework of “memory authenticity,” offering heritage practitioners a tool for assessing restoration choices in contexts where architectural evidence is fragmentary or lost. The findings also provide practical implications for heritage management, including evidence-based decision-making, ethically informed digital interpretation, and responsible presentation of reconstructed or hypothetical forms.