First UNESCO World Heritage Committee Meeting in Korea: "Cultural Powerhouse Korea Will Contribute"

[Anchor]

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee opened in Busan yesterday (July 19). This is the first time the event is being held in South Korea. President Lee Jae-myung emphasized that the Republic of Korea, now a cultural powerhouse, will contribute to the protection of world heritage and global peace.

Reporter Kang Min-u has the story.

[Reporter]

The "Gate of Korea" opens with a royal guard changing ceremony, and "Ganggangsullae," which was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009, graces the stage.

Since South Korea joined the World Heritage Convention in 1988, this is the first time the UNESCO World Heritage Committee has been held in Korea, taking place in Busan.

At the opening ceremony, attended by some 1,200 people including representatives from 196 member states and honorary ambassador and singer G-Dragon, President Lee Jae-myung highlighted the history of the host city, Busan. He noted its transformation from the wartime capital during the Korean War to a gateway for international aid, and finally to a leading maritime city.

[President Lee Jae-myung: It is perhaps destiny that the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, where the international community gathers to protect and inherit humanity's precious heritage, is being held here in Busan.]

He stated that the spirit of the UNESCO Constitution, which calls for building the defenses of peace in the minds of men, aligns with the vision of a "cultural nation" dreamed of by Baekbeom Kim Koo, who marks the 150th anniversary of his birth this year. He pledged that the Republic of Korea, having emerged as a cultural powerhouse, would take the lead in protecting world heritage and contributing to international peace.

[President Lee Jae-myung: Based on the "power of high culture," we will continue the spirit of Baekbeom by protecting humanity's precious heritage together and contributing to world peace and prosperity.]

The committee will review 33 nominations for World Heritage status and examine the conservation status of 147 existing World Heritage sites through July 29.

Attention is focused on whether "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats," which was inscribed as a World Heritage site in 2021, will succeed in its "extension" bid to expand its scope and coverage to areas such as Goheung, South Jeolla Province.

(Video coverage: Ha Ryung | Video editing: Jung Seong-hun | Design: Jo Su-in)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.