Green Light for Gaya Tumuli World Heritage Listing

International Council on Monuments and Sites Recommends Listing
World Heritage Committee Expected to Inscribe Unless Unexpected
"Unique Evidence of Lost Cultural Traditions and Civilizations"

The 'Gaya Tumuli,' a collection of seven Gaya archaeological sites, is expected to be inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

According to the Cultural Heritage Administration on the 11th, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an advisory body of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, has recommended the inscription of the Gaya Tumuli, which South Korea has nominated for World Heritage status. ICOMOS evaluates heritage sites nominated by each country and selects one of four recommendations?inscription, deferral, referral, or non-inscription?to be forwarded to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the concerned country. Sites recommended for inscription are typically inscribed by the World Heritage Committee unless there are exceptional circumstances.

The Gaya Tumuli is a serial heritage site comprising seven burial mound clusters that existed in the Yeongnam and Honam regions from the 1st to the mid-6th century. It includes the Jisandong Tumuli Cluster in Goryeong, Gyeongbuk; Daeseongdong Tumuli Cluster in Gimhae, Gyeongnam; Malsan Tumuli Cluster in Haman; Gyodong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli Clusters in Changnyeong; Songhakdong Tumuli Cluster in Goseong; Okjeon Tumuli Cluster in Hapcheon; and Yugok-ri and Durak-ri Tumuli Clusters in Namwon, Jeonbuk. All are designated as national historic sites.

The burial mound clusters are evaluated as sites that prove the establishment, development, and identity of Gaya culture. Gaya refers to a collective term for small states that flourished mainly around the Nakdong River basin from around the beginning of the Common Era until 562 AD. It is well known for states such as Geumgwan Gaya located in Gimhae, Gyeongnam, Daegaya in Goryeong, Gyeongbuk, and Ara Gaya in Haman. These states maintained a unique political system called a 'confederacy' while coexisting with surrounding centralized ancient states. The burial mound clusters are important traces that demonstrate this civilization.

The Cultural Heritage Administration explained, "Through the structure, scale, and composition of the pottery buried within, one can glimpse the cohesion and geographical range of the Gaya confederacy," adding, "Funeral customs, systems, and pottery styles that show regional characteristics according to each political entity also remain." A representative example is the 'wisepum (威勢品),' prestige goods bestowed to incorporate local powers into one's sphere of influence while elevating the status of the leader. These show an equal level, indicating that each political entity had autonomy and maintained a horizontal relationship. The Cultural Heritage Administration emphasized, "It meets one of the criteria for World Heritage inscription as 'the sole or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or civilization, whether living or disappeared,'" and called it "an important footprint demonstrating the diversity of ancient East Asian civilizations."

The final decision on the inscription of the Gaya Tumuli will be made at the 45th World Heritage Committee meeting held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from September 10 to 25. If successful, South Korea will hold sixteen World Heritage sites, including Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple, Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, Jongmyo Shrine (all inscribed in 1995), Changdeokgung Palace and Suwon Hwaseong Fortress (1997), Gyeongju Historic Areas, Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites (2000), Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes (2007), Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty (2009), Historic Villages of Korea: Hahoe and Yangdong (2010), Namhansanseong Fortress (2014), Baekje Historic Areas (2015), Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in Korea (2018), and Korean Seowon Confucian Academies (2019).

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