Korea hosts landmark UNESCO World Heritage Committee session, inscribing 28 sites

The 48th UNESCO World Heritage Committee, the first ever held in South Korea, concluded its 11-day run with the adoption of the Busan Declaration and a record-breaking turnout. The session marked a turning point in positioning "collaboration" as a new core value of world heritage in response to compounding crises such as climate change and armed conflict, while showcasing the value of Korean heritage and the excellence of K-heritage to the world.

Co-hosted by the Cultural Heritage Administration and UNESCO, the 48th UNESCO World Heritage Committee opened with a ceremony on July 19 and held its first plenary session the following day, concluding its official schedule Wednesday with the adoption of final decisions.

The committee reviewed 33 nominations and approved a total of 28 inscriptions — 25 new inscriptions (19 cultural, 5 natural and 1 mixed), 2 extensions including the Phase 2 expansion of Korea's tidal flats, and 1 change-of-criteria inscription. The total number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites now stands at 1,273 across 173 countries, comprising 991 cultural, 240 natural and 42 mixed properties. Four sites that had initially received "referral" or "deferral" recommendations from advisory bodies were ultimately inscribed following efforts by the nominating states and deliberations among committee members. Notably, the UAE's freshwater mountain habitat Wadi Wurayah was inscribed after more than an hour of debate, despite having received a rejection recommendation from the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

South Korea secured the Phase 2 extension of its "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats" World Heritage property at the session. With the addition of tidal flats in Yeosu, Goheung, Muan and Seosan, the total inscribed area grew by about 22 percent. The expanded serial property now encompasses six component zones — the Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung tidal flat, the Sinan-Muan Tando Bay tidal flat, the Muan Haenam Bay tidal flat, the Gochang tidal flat, the Seocheon tidal flat and the Seosan tidal flat — bundled together with the sites originally inscribed in 2021.

Nine properties in the Asia-Pacific region were newly inscribed, including Japan's "Asuka-Fujiwara: Archaeological Sites of Japan's Ancient Capitals and Related Properties," China's "Jingdezhen Traditional Handcraft Porcelain Industry Heritage Sites" and Mongolia's "Xiongnu Elite Burial Complexes." On the Japanese inscription, the Cultural Heritage Administration said the South Korean government "hopes that the significant historical exchanges with the Korean Peninsula, a core value of the property, will be more faithfully reflected at the heritage sites."

Greece's "Mount Olympus Wider Area" was the session's sole mixed-property inscription. France's "D-Day Landing Beaches of Normandy," grouping five beaches in northwestern France, and "Aalto's Works," the architectural legacy of Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, were also inscribed. In Africa, South Sudan's "Boma-Badingilo Migratory Landscape," São Tomé and Príncipe's "Rolas" and Comoros' "Medina of the Ancient Sultanates" each became their respective country's first World Heritage Site.

The committee also devoted considerable attention to reviewing the conservation status of existing World Heritage Sites. Of 148 properties examined, three were added to the List of World Heritage in Danger: Paramaribo Historic Inner City in Suriname, the Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese and its Chora in Ukraine, and Tyre in Lebanon. Three additional sites inscribed under emergency procedures — including South Sudan's Boma-Badingilo Migratory Landscape — were simultaneously placed on the danger list, bringing the total to 58 endangered properties. By contrast, Vienna's Historic Centre in Austria, added to the danger list in 2017 over concerns about landscape damage from a planned high-rise hotel nearby, was removed after heated debate.

A decision on Japan's Sado Mine — inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2024 — was adopted without amendment, calling on Japan to work closely with all parties to comprehensively address the site's full history at the property level and to improve its interpretation and exhibition strategy and facilities. The decision is widely interpreted as requiring Japan to clearly acknowledge the history of forced Korean labor during the Japanese colonial period. Japan must submit a progress report on follow-up measures to the World Heritage Centre by Dec. 1, 2027. The committee will conduct a comprehensive review of Japan's implementation at the 50th session in 2028. South Korea urged Japan on Tuesday, during the conservation agenda debate, to faithfully carry out all recommendations related to the Sado Mine.

Led by the South Korean government, the "Busan Declaration on World Heritage" was adopted by consensus on the first day of the plenary session. The declaration underscores the importance of collaboration in responding to the complex challenges facing world heritage, including armed conflict, climate change and development pressures. It notably proposed expanding the existing five strategic objectives — known as the 5Cs (Credibility, Conservation, Capacity-building, Communication and Communities) — by adding "Collaboration" to create a new framework of 6Cs. The session also brought to public debate, for the first time in the world heritage field, the issues of digital transformation and the responsibilities it entails. The Cultural Heritage Administration said it plans to pursue follow-up initiatives, including hosting a tentatively named "Busan World Heritage Forum," to build on the outcomes of the Busan Declaration.

The session drew a number of prominent international figures. President Lee Jae Myung, UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Anany and about 1,000 others attended the opening ceremony on July 19. Comoros President Azali Assoumani attended in person to celebrate his country's inscription — the first time a head of state has attended a World Heritage Committee session.

The exhibition space running alongside the session also drew strong interest. The K-Heritage House at Busan BEXCO, built to twice the size of a soccer field, featured 45 experience booths operated by 35 organizations and welcomed 137,422 visitors over 10 days. A pop-up store on site recorded sales of 282.75 million won ($195,000), and all 382 commemorative coins sold out over a three-day limited sale.

Three special performances at the BEXCO Auditorium — including "Sanhwabi" and "Gut Boreo Gaja" — sold out every seat. Thirty-one tourism programs, among them the "Busan Heritage Field Trip" offering hands-on encounters with world heritage sites, and 61 side events covering topics such as independence activist Kim Gu's vision of a culture-powered nation and the conservation of Yellow Sea tidal flats through cross-border cooperation, also drew strong responses.

All scheduled events concluded without incident, underpinned by close coordination among safety agencies including the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Busan Metropolitan City, Haeundae-gu, and police, fire and military units.

Cultural Heritage Administration Commissioner Heo Min said, "I am deeply grateful to all partner organizations that provided unwavering support on the ground to ensure the committee proceeded safely and without a hitch to the very end."

Meanwhile, the 49th UNESCO World Heritage Committee will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, from June 27 to July 7, 2027, where South Korea will seek inscription for the "Capital Fortress of Hanyang."