The temples of Preah Pithou and Lean Chul Damrei (the Terrace of Elephants) in Siem Reap are at the heart of this agreement. The grant agreement was signed by Dr Sum Map, Director General of the National APSARA Authority, and Jeong Yun Gil, Director of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) office in Cambodge, during the 25th plenary session of Angkor's International Coordination Committee (ICC) on December 6th. Following an initial phase of Korean assistance from 2013 to the present, a second phase is now underway. According to AKP, South Korea will once again release 7 million dollars over five years, through 2023, for the renovation and conservation of the temples Preah Pithou and Lean Chul Damrei in Siem Reap province.

The façade of the Terrace of Elephants

A Dedicated Laboratory

While all the details of this operation have not yet been made public, KOICA has stated its intention to continue the work accomplished over the past five years by providing numerous pieces of equipment and enhancing the expertise of specialists working on the conservation of these temples, which face a major risk of deterioration. This will include the training of Cambodians, both on-site and on invitation in South Korea, by teams of South Korean specialists.

Inauguration of the APSARA laboratory dedicated to the preservation of Preah Pithou, in 2017

Four million dollars had already been invested in the first phase of South Korean assistance. A quarter was devoted to establishing a laboratory dedicated to the preservation of the Preah Pithou temple. "It has specialized equipment that allows us to analyze the rocks and conduct architectural surveys," said Tan Sophal, Deputy Director of Apsara's Department of Monument Conservation, last year, adding that the laboratory staff consists of specialists trained by experts from South Korea.