Yangju city in Gyeonggi Province is launching an all-out promotional campaign for the Hoeamsa Temple Site's World Heritage inscription ahead of the 48th UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Busan this July.
According to Yangju city on the 10th, the city held a project kickoff meeting at City Hall the previous day to prepare for participation in the World Heritage Committee. The city plans to establish and operate a "Yangju Hoeamsa Temple Site Promotion Center" during the event, along with tour programs for foreign visitors and academic events.
This marks the first time South Korea will host the World Heritage Committee. Approximately 3,000 domestic and international heritage officials, including delegations from signatory countries, are expected to attend. With World Heritage inscription reviewers from around the world gathering in one place, competition among local governments seeking inscription is expected to intensify.
The Hoeamsa Temple Site in Yangju is an archaeological heritage site that demonstrates the prosperity and spread of East Asian Buddhist Seon (Zen) culture in the 14th century. It was added to UNESCO's World Heritage Tentative List in 2022 and selected for the Korea Heritage Service's priority inscription list in 2025. The city aims for full inscription by 2029.
A Yangju city official said, "With the World Heritage Committee being held in Korea this year, it is a great opportunity to promote Hoeamsa Temple Site widely," adding, "We will make every effort to achieve full inscription by 2029 through this event."