'Yangju Hoeamsaji' and 'Seongju Sejong Daewangja Taesil' World Heritage Tentative List Rejected Again

‘Yangju Hoeamsaji, a Model of East Asian Seon Buddhist Temples’ and ‘Seongju Sejong Daewangja Taesil (胎室, a facility created by enshrining a fetus in a jar)’ failed in their bid to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. They were not included in the ‘Tentative List,’ which can be considered the first hurdle.

According to the Cultural Heritage Administration on the 29th, the World Heritage Subcommittee of the Cultural Heritage Committee reviewed the tentative list selection for ‘Yangju Hoeamsaji, a Model of East Asian Seon Buddhist Temples,’ ‘Seongju Sejong Daewangja Taesil,’ ‘Wonju Goryeo-era Namhangang Riverside Temple Urban Site,’ ‘Chungnam Naepo Region Catholic Heritage Sites,’ and ‘Buan Goryeo Celadon Heritage District’ the day before, and all were rejected. ‘Yangju Hoeamsaji, a Model of East Asian Seon Buddhist Temples’ and ‘Seongju Sejong Daewangja Taesil’ once again failed to make it past the tentative list threshold, following their 2018 attempt.

Yangju Hoeamsaji emphasized that it demonstrated the Buddhist Seon tradition popular in East Asia during the 13th to 14th centuries through its architectural space. Sejong Daewangja Taesil described the unique culture of developing the fetus (胎), a symbol of life, into a state ritual. The Wonju Goryeo-era Namhangang Riverside Temple Urban Site is a heritage site that includes the temple ruins of Heungbeopsa, Beopcheonsa, Geodonsa, and Heungwonchang near the Namhangang River. It claimed to be a heritage that proves the prototype of riverside temple urban sites located on the waterway route in the 10th to 11th centuries but was not included in the tentative list.

The Chungnam Naepo Catholic Heritage Sites collectively refer to churches and martyrdom sites in Yesan, Dangjin, Seosan, Hongseong, and Asan. It highlighted the creation of an outstanding religious culture despite severe persecution and the establishment of a unique religious tradition specific to the Naepo region. The Buan Goryeo Celadon Heritage District, which combines the Yocheon-ri and Jinseo-ri kiln sites in Buan, claimed to be an unparalleled evidence showing the organic distribution system of Goryeo celadon in the 12th to 13th centuries.

The Cultural Heritage Committee also reviewed a proposal to prioritize the inscription of ‘Hanyangdoseong,’ which was judged ‘not eligible for inscription’ by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in 2017, and the ‘Daegokcheon Rock Carvings Group,’ including the Ulsan Bangudae Petroglyphs, on the priority inscription list but postponed the decision. The Cultural Heritage Administration maintains 2 to 4 heritage sites on the priority inscription list annually and selects one of them as the final candidate for inscription.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.