The article discusses the evolution of Korea’s cultural heritage protection policies, with a particular focus on intangible cultural heritage, spanning from the inception of the Cultural Property Protection Act in 1962 to the recent enactment of the Framework Act on National Heritage in 2023. The shift towards a more comprehensive legal framework aims to align Korea’s standards with international norms, particularly those set forth by UNESCO’s cultural heritage safeguarding policies. The article highlights the challenges stemming from conflicts between domestic laws and UNESCO conventions, as well as the subsequent revisions undertaken by the Cultural Heritage Administration to address these issues. The article underscores the challenges associated with safeguarding community-based intangible cultural heritage. It proposes assigning a central role to expert committees in safeguarding intangible heritage and advocates for reducing direct government intervention in favour of exploring novel avenues for indirect support.