Baek Hyunjin "We Must Stop Japan's Historical Distortion"... Proposes Legislation for Establishing UNESCO Center

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] Assemblyman Bae Hyunjin of the United Future Party proposed a bill on the 5th to provide a legal basis for the stable establishment of the UNESCO International Center in Korea.

The UNESCO World Heritage Interpretation International Center received final approval for establishment at the 40th UNESCO General Conference last year and is about to sign an agreement between Korea and UNESCO.

The Cultural Heritage Administration has also allocated a budget for the operation of the establishment promotion team and is proceeding with the establishment process, but there was no legal basis.

Accordingly, Assemblyman Bae proposed an amendment to the "Special Act on the Preservation, Management, and Utilization of World Heritage," creating a new clause to "establish the UNESCO International Center under the Cultural Heritage Administration," thereby providing a legal foundation.

Assemblyman Bae stated, "Recently, due to the expansion of Japan's influence within UNESCO, an incident occurred where Hashima Island was registered as a World Heritage site," and added, "The domestic establishment of the center will supplement insufficient diplomatic capabilities and establish standards and principles to prevent cases of historical distortion."

He continued, "Cultural heritage registered as UNESCO World Heritage serves as a standard for people worldwide to learn about a country's history," emphasizing, "Together with the center to be established in the future, we will make every effort at the National Assembly level to ensure that cases ignoring the truth of history are never registered as World Cultural Heritage again."

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