The 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee is taking place in Busan, elevating the status of K-Heritage. Significant achievements include the expanded registration of 'Korean tidal flats,' the Busan Declaration, which proposes new directions for the preservation of world heritage, and calls for improved exhibition strategies for Japan's Sado Mine. The movement to register Busan as a refuge city heritage by 2030 is also expected to gain momentum.
The most notable achievement is the second phase of the expanded registration of 'Korean tidal flats.' On July 25, the World Heritage Committee approved the addition of the tidal flats of Muan, Goheung, Yeosu, and Seosan to the existing sites of Seocheon, Gochang, Sinan, and Boseong-Suncheon. This marks the first instance of expanding the scope of an existing World Heritage site in Korea.
The committee praised the Korean tidal flats as a key habitat in the Yellow Sea ecosystem and the East Asia-Australasia migratory bird route. The international community has once again recognized the natural heritage value that contributes to the conservation of migratory waterfowl and various marine life.
As the host country, South Korea also led discussions on world heritage. The 'Busan Declaration on World Heritage,' adopted on July 20, was drafted collaboratively by South Korea and experts from 21 World Heritage Committee member countries, as well as the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The Busan Declaration emphasizes the need for a collective international response to the crises facing world heritage, including armed conflict, climate change, and development pressures. It proposes adding 'cooperation' to the existing five strategic goals of the World Heritage Convention and highlights key issues such as digital transformation, accountability, and inclusive interpretation. The Cultural Heritage Administration plans to pursue follow-up projects to create more concrete and practical outcomes following the declaration.
In relation to the Sado Mine issue, South Korea's position has gained support. The World Heritage Committee noted that while Japan has made some progress in developing an interpretation and exhibition strategy that reflects the 'full history' of the Sado Mine, it deemed the efforts insufficient. The committee recommended that Japan comprehensively address the entire history of the mine's development on-site and improve its exhibitions. This marks an official acknowledgment by the international body that Japan has not fully implemented the historical explanations promised during the mine's registration.
Additionally, as Busan aims for the registration of the 'Refuge City Busan Heritage,' the push for registration is expected to accelerate. The Cultural Heritage Administration and the World Heritage Centre are currently discussing the necessary measures for registering Busan's heritage as a World Heritage site.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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