Two days before the opening of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee session in Busan, Korea Heritage Service Administrator Huh Min said on the afternoon of the 17th, "Korea has been a mere participating nation until now, but going forward it will serve as a rule maker that leads the world."
Huh held a briefing with reporters after the "8th Forum for Site Managers of World Heritage" held that afternoon at the Ulsan Exhibition and Convention Center. The site managers forum is an event where site managers working on the front lines of World Heritage conservation and management gather to share cases and experiences from each country and strengthen cooperation systems. The theme of the forum that day was the conservation and utilization of World Heritage as seen through the "Bangudae (Bangucheon) Petroglyphs." The conservation issue of the Bangudae Petroglyphs is also a "sore spot" in Korea's World Heritage management. The aim, however, was to openly reveal the issue and seek solutions for the conservation and utilization of World Heritage.
Huh emphasized, "Just as the launch of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee itself was aimed at preventing the destruction of ancient Egyptian relics caused by the construction of the Aswan Dam in Egypt in 1960, the significance of this Busan session is to find ways to pursue World Heritage conservation alongside development and growth in a new environment."
At the forum, the Korea Heritage Service, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, and Ulsan City jointly explained the difficulties of conserving the Bangudae Petroglyphs and sought the opinions of site managers from around the world. Site managers from other countries also presented cases from their own nations. This will be included in the "Busan Declaration" to be pursued during the World Heritage Committee session.
Huh also offered a candid explanation of the conservation situation of the Bangudae Petroglyphs. According to his explanation, the Ministry of Climate plans to complete new waterway (floodgate) construction by 2030 at the Sayeon Dam, a "gateless dam" located downstream of the petroglyphs. On the other hand, Ulsan citizens remain concerned about water supply should the structure of the Sayeon Dam be changed. In addition, residents of Ulju-gun near the petroglyphs and NGOs point out that there would be no problem even if the Sayeon Dam were removed.
On this, Huh expressed concern, saying, "Floodgate construction at the Sayeon Dam has been proposed as a measure to prevent flooding of the petroglyphs, but if larger downpours occur due to climate change, the petroglyphs could still be flooded." This is read as meaning that while there is an opinion that conserving the petroglyphs requires removing the dam and eliminating flooding altogether, more discussion must proceed in a situation where there is no alternative water supply measure. In other words, water level control through floodgate construction at the Sayeon Dam is not the end of solving the problem.
In this regard, Ulsan Mayor Kim Sang-wook, who accompanied the site experts forum and the Bangudae Petroglyphs that day, said, "For the past 25 years, the positions of the Korea Heritage Service and Ulsan City have clashed, but I share the same position as Administrator Huh and we are communicating especially closely." He added, "I hold the view that the Bangudae Petroglyphs must be conserved. However, to resolve the water supply issue that affects Ulsan citizens, we need to discuss further with neighboring local governments. In particular, the cooperation of Daegu City is desperately needed."
Regarding the prospect of North Korea's attendance at the Busan World Heritage Committee, one of the biggest issues, Huh showed a skeptical reaction, saying, "Among the delegations from each country that have conveyed their attendance so far, North Korea is not among them," and "The UNESCO headquarters also met with the North Korean mission, but there has been no answer yet."
However, he hinted at expectations for North Korea's attendance at a Northeast Asia meeting on the theme of tidal flats. Earlier, when the "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats" was inscribed as World Heritage in 2021, the World Heritage Committee requested cooperation with China's "Bohai Bay migratory bird habitat" (inscribed in 2019). On top of this, North Korea also placed its West Sea coastal wetlands (tidal flats) on the World Heritage Tentative List this year.
Huh said, "Looking at it overall, the tidal flats connect into one line, from South and North Korea to China," adding, "We are preparing a multinational meeting in which they participate, and we are encouraging North Korea to participate in the meeting, even if only by video."
Huh also said, regarding taekwondo, which North Korea is challenging for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity this year, "We conveyed a proposal to discuss joint inscription, but there has been no answer yet." However, he said, "Even if North Korea is inscribed first, we can pursue an extended inscription together," adding, "Both kimjang and Arirang are separately inscribed by North Korea and us, and we have proposed doing (a joint inscription) that bundles in taekwondo as well."
Meanwhile, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Busan opens on the afternoon of the 19th at BEXCO. About 3,000 people, including delegations from 196 countries, are expected to attend. The event runs until the 29th. On the 25th, Korea is set for the inscription of Phase 2 of "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats," which adds the Muan, Goheung, Yeosu and Seosan tidal flats to the existing Seocheon tidal flat in South Chungcheong, Gochang tidal flat in North Jeolla, Sinan tidal flat in South Jeolla, and Boseong-Suncheon tidal flat. The committee also plans to review a total of 33 proposals, including 30 new inscription candidates and three expansions and modifications of existing heritage sites.
Ulsan = By Choi Soo-moon, Senior Reporter
