K-heritage in the spotlight as Korea prepares for big Unesco gathering in Busan in July

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

BUSAN — Korea is preparing to turn Busan into a global stage for K-heritage this July as thousands of diplomats, heritage experts and cultural officials gather for Unesco’s World Heritage Committee, an event the government hopes will elevate the country’s cultural legacy.

“I hope the true beauty of Korean heritage, also known as K-heritage, will become widely known [during the gathering],” President Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday at Bexco in Busan after being briefed on preparations for the event by officials, including Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young and Korea Heritage Service (KHS) Administrator Huh Min.

“The driving force behind K-culture, which is leading the global culture, is undoubtedly K-heritage,” Lee said. “Korea should stand at the forefront of building cooperation and solidarity within the global community amid climate crises, geopolitical risks and rapid development.”

The 48th session of the World Heritage Committee will take place at Bexco in Busan from July 19 to 29, where delegations from some 196 countries are expected to gather to discuss key agenda items, including evaluating new World Heritage nominations and reviewing the conservation status of listed sites.

For Korea, the committee will decide on the nomination of "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats Phase 2," a proposal to add four new mudflat areas in South Jeolla and South Chungcheong to the existing four from Phase 1.

The July event marks the first time Korea has hosted the committee since joining the Unesco World Heritage Convention in 1988. President Lee called for "thorough and meticulous" preparation in transportation, accommodation and safety on Wednesday. 

Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and KHS will establish a K-Heritage House, a complex roughly the size of two football pitches, where aspects of Korea's culture will be showcased.

The space will be divided into four themes.

The Heritage Archive exhibition will showcase Korea's heritage inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage list — 17 World Heritage sites, including 15 cultural and two natural properties, as well as 20 documentary heritage properties. The Living Heritage section will showcase demonstrations and performances of various forms of intangible heritage, while the Heritage Future and Collaboration Zone sections will feature experiential zones and digital content exhibitions. 

A slew of live performances showcasing Korea’s intangible heritage — including gatil, a performance centered on the traditional Korean hat gat; gut, a traditional Korean shamanic ritual; and Jongmyo Jeryeak, the ritual music performed at royal ancestral ceremonies — will take place on the sidelines.

The changing of the royal guard, normally held at Gyeongbok Palace and Deoksu Palace in central Seoul, will also be reenacted in Busan, marking the first time the event has been staged outside the capital.

Korea expects the World Heritage Committee meeting to serve as a key opportunity to highlight Busan’s heritage value as a temporary wartime capital during the 1950–53 Korean War. The KHS is preparing to apply for a preliminary assessment of  11 Korean War-related sites in Busan that Korea hopes to register with UNESCO as World Heritage.

“We are not hosting this event as a one-off, but with the ambition of taking a leading role in the global heritage field,” Huh from the KHS said. 

“As preparations are being carried out at the pan-government level, we will make sure that once the event concludes, people will say, ‘As expected, it’s Korea.’”

BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]