Seosan, a city in South Chungcheong Province that encompasses Garorim Bay, is expected to be reborn as a World Heritage city.
The city of Seosan said Sunday that the listing of Garorim Bay's tidal flats as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site has become likely, after the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on June 5 recommended to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee that Seosan's Garorim Bay and other areas be added to the "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats" World Natural Heritage listing.
The IUCN is an advisory body for UNESCO's natural heritage sector and an organization entrusted by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee to evaluate matters related to World Natural Heritage listings.
The final decision on the listing will be made at the 48th UNESCO World Heritage Committee, to be held in Busan in July.
The city expects that if Garorim Bay's Seosan tidal flats are listed as a World Natural Heritage site, it will gain momentum in passing the preliminary feasibility study for the national marine ecological park project currently under way.
Garorim Bay is home to various protected marine species including the spotted seal, the white-clawed fiddler crab, and eelgrass, as well as natural monuments and endangered species. It is recognized as one of the world's five largest tidal flats, with the nation's top capacity to sustain a marine ecosystem. It was designated as Korea's first and largest marine protected area in 2016, and was designated as Korea's first national marine ecological park in December 2025.
"The recommendation for listing shows that the value of Garorim Bay's Seosan tidal flats is being recognized internationally," Seosan Mayor Lee Wan-sup said.
