"Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats Phase 2" has moved a step closer to inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The final inscription will be decided at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee, to be held in Busan in July.
The Korea Heritage Service said Thursday that it had received notification from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre that "Korean Tidal Flats Phase 2" had been recommended for extended World Heritage inscription, following a review by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the advisory body for natural heritage to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.
The IUCN assessed that "Korean Tidal Flats Phase 2" meets World Heritage inscription criterion (x) — namely, the importance of biodiversity and the conservation of endangered species — and recommended that the World Heritage Committee approve a significant boundary modification that substantially revises the boundaries of the existing "Korean Tidal Flats (Phase 1)" World Heritage site. It also judged that the property meets the requirements for heritage criteria, integrity, and protection and management under the operational guidelines for implementing the World Heritage Convention.
This Phase 2 extended inscription application adds the following to the existing World Heritage site: ▲ Yeosu Tidal Flat ▲ Goheung Tidal Flat ▲ Muan Tidal Flat ▲ Seosan Tidal Flat. If the inscription is confirmed, "Korean Tidal Flats" will become a serial property consisting of a total of six components (Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Tidal Flat, Sinan-Muan Tando Bay Tidal Flat, Muan Hamhae Bay Tidal Flat, Gochang Tidal Flat, Seocheon Tidal Flat, and Seosan Tidal Flat).
"Korean Tidal Flats" was inscribed on the World Heritage list at the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2021, when four tidal flats — Seocheon, Gochang, Sinan, and Boseong-Suncheon — were recognized for their World Heritage value. At that time, along with the inscription decision, the World Heritage Committee recommended pursuing a Phase 2 extended inscription that would include additional tidal flat areas to further strengthen the property's Outstanding Universal Value (OUV).
Along with this extended inscription recommendation, the IUCN proposed continuing efforts to analyze additional tidal flat areas with potential Outstanding Universal Value and to secure local community support. It also recommended ensuring that traditional fishing and tidal flat resource harvesting practices can be sustainably passed down, and continuously strengthening international cooperation with relevant state parties to conserve the Yellow Sea ecosystem and key habitats along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.
The final inscription of "Korean Tidal Flats Phase 2" will be decided at the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, to be held in Busan in July.
"We plan to work closely with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, relevant local governments, local communities, and the Korean Tidal Flats World Heritage Inscription Promotion Team to strengthen the conservation and management of the World Heritage value of 'Korean Tidal Flats,' while faithfully following the IUCN's recommendations and actively responding to ensure a final inscription decision at this World Heritage Committee session," a Korea Heritage Service official said.
