"Just as the launch of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in the past was triggered by Egypt's Aswan Dam construction, I hope the Bangudae Petroglyphs issue in Ulsan becomes an opportunity for Korea to emerge as a 'Rule-maker' at the Busan World Heritage Committee," said Heo Min, Administrator of the Korea Heritage Service.
Heo held a press briefing on Tuesday at BEXCO in Busan to mark D-50 to the 48th UNESCO World Heritage Committee. He said, "We will use the Busan World Heritage Committee as an opportunity to bring out diverse World Heritage agendas with the international community and to declare a new discourse."
At the briefing, concerns were raised that heavy rain during the Busan World Heritage Committee in July could submerge the Bangudae Petroglyphs, putting host country Korea in an awkward position. In response, Heo said such issues would instead serve as an opportunity for Korea to lead the discourse of the new era.
The case he cited was the construction of Egypt's Aswan Dam in the 1960s. The dam, then the largest in the world, threatened to submerge ancient ruins including the Great Temple of Abu Simbel located upstream of the construction site, sparking a movement to relocate them to other areas. After the project succeeded through international cooperation, efforts to systematize the process led to the adoption of the "World Heritage Convention" in 1972 and the establishment of the "World Heritage Committee."
"By raising concerns about the Bangudae Petroglyphs being submerged in heavy rain at the World Heritage Committee, we plan to instead explain our efforts to protect World Heritage and create an opportunity for the international community to cooperate together," Heo explained. "Korea has the symbolism of having transitioned from a country that received aid to one that provides aid through its own efforts."
The Bangudae Petroglyphs, inscribed as a World Heritage Site in July last year, are images carved on rocks by local people from the Neolithic to Bronze Age and have also been designated as a "National Treasure." However, since the Sayeon Dam was built downstream in 1965, the upstream petroglyphs have been submerged whenever heavy rain causes the dam's water level to exceed 53 meters. "We have worked in various ways for over 20 years to resolve the dilemma between preventing the petroglyphs from being submerged and securing water for local residents," Heo said.
The discourses the Korea Heritage Service will raise and lead in resolving at this World Heritage Committee include: how to protect World Heritage destroyed by war; how to incorporate the latest technologies such as AI; and how to conduct the World Heritage Impact Assessment that Korea introduced for the first time.
The plan also includes announcing a "Busan Declaration" on inter-state cooperation to overcome such complex crises, followed by an annual "Busan Forum" to address them. "Until now, the World Heritage Committee has only verbally promised to protect World Heritage in war but has failed to keep that promise," Heo emphasized. "We can no longer just sit and hold meetings. We intend to demand direct action from UNESCO."
The issue of high-rise buildings in front of Seoul's Jongmyo Shrine is also likely to be raised at this year's World Heritage Committee, and Heo took a firm stance on this matter as well. "The Taereung area, beyond the vicinity of Jongmyo, has already been undergoing a World Heritage Impact Assessment since early this year, which, as I mentioned, is scheduled to be completed within a year," he noted. "The Sewoon District 4 in front of Jongmyo also began its impact assessment in October last year and is probably finished by now."
He also said he had asked the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment to drain the Sayeon Dam's water down to 43 meters in advance to prevent the Bangudae Petroglyphs from being submerged. The ministry, understanding the situation, decided to drain the water down to 46 meters but agreed to secure an additional 3-meter buffer in case of heavy rain.
At a briefing on the preparation status of the 48th UNESCO World Heritage Committee held at BEXCO that day chaired by President Lee Jae-myung, Heo announced, "Along with the World Heritage Committee where experts gather, we plan to create the 'Korea Pavilion' (K-Heritage House), about twice the size of a regular soccer field, at BEXCO during the same period so that the general public can view and experience World Heritage."
This is the largest single exhibition space related to K-Heritage and K-Culture in Korea. Operating for ten days from July 20 to 29, the Korea Pavilion will be composed of five exhibition zones and 42 exhibition and experience spaces, with the participation of 33 organizations including six central government ministries, 14 local governments, and 13 private institutions. It will also be divided into three thematic halls — "Korea and UNESCO," "Korea's Memory of the World," and "Busan Pavilion" — featuring the history of cooperation between Korea and UNESCO, Korea's 17 World Heritage sites, 20 Memory of the World items, and Busan's history, culture, and tourism content.
This year's "48th World Heritage Committee" will be held in Busan, Korea, with a pre-forum starting July 13, an opening ceremony on July 19, and the event running through July 29. It is the first time Korea is hosting this event in 38 years since joining the World Heritage Convention in 1988. About 3,000 World Heritage stakeholders from home and abroad, including the UNESCO Director-General, delegations from 196 countries, international organizations, experts, and media, are expected to visit Busan during the event.
Of the 181 agenda items to be discussed, decisions on the new inscription of 34 World Heritage sites are also included. In particular, expectations are high that the second phase of "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats" will be expanded for inscription. The four "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats" — Seocheon, Gochang, Shinan, and Boseong-Suncheon — were inscribed as World Heritage in 2021 in recognition of their value as a stopover on the migratory bird route from East Asia to Oceania and as an irreplaceable habitat for migratory bird conservation.
The government hopes to add four more sites: the Muan, Goheung, and Yeosu tidal flats in South Jeolla Province and the Seosan tidal flat in South Chungcheong Province. UNESCO experts have completed an on-site inspection, and the inspection report is expected to be released soon. A final decision will be made at the World Heritage Committee in July.
"If the additional inscription is made this time, all of our southwestern coastal tidal flats will be inscribed as World Heritage," Heo said. "We expect a positive outcome." He added, "North Korea has also placed its tidal flats on the tentative list. There is much that South and North Korea can share in the future centered on tidal flats. China also has tidal flats, so we expect this to expand beyond simple World Heritage inscription into an international cooperation project."
