Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun: "We Must Consider How to Protect and Continue Cultural Heritage"

Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun is speaking at the opening ceremony of the '2023 Suwon World Heritage Cities Forum' held at the Suwon Convention Center on the 11th.

Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun emphasized that "cultural heritage should be regarded as a ‘legacy’ jointly responsible by our society, and we must think together about how to protect and pass it on."

At the opening ceremony of the ‘2023 Suwon World Heritage City Forum’ held at the Suwon Convention Center on the 11th, Mayor Lee said, "Preserving cultural heritage is a task that everyone must participate in, not just related ministries or experts," and added, "I hope this forum will serve as an opportunity to consider how to act for the sustainability of world heritage cities."

Now in its third year, the Suwon World Heritage City Forum is a flagship event in the field of world heritage that enhances Suwon City's urban brand value as a leader in the world heritage sector and discusses the sustainability of world heritage cities. This year’s forum, themed ‘Utilization of World Heritage,’ is being held at the Suwon Convention Center until the 12th.

On the 11th, Han Kyung-gu, Secretary-General of the UNESCO Korean National Commission, delivered a keynote speech titled ‘The Value of Utilization for the Sustainability of World Heritage,’ followed by a session on ‘Utilization of World Heritage (Heritage X).’

Various side events are held during the forum. The ‘Heritage Festa,’ co-hosted by the Suwon Cultural Foundation and the Suwon Convention Center Foundation, runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It features unique local content from Suwon, a special pop-up exhibition where various companies reinterpret world heritage, and collaborative world heritage artworks by artist Lee Jong-gi.

Additionally, a ‘Mentoring Lounge’ is operated for students aspiring to enter the cultural heritage field, where current professionals share vivid experiences and provide career counseling. Mentors include Ki Jin-seok, Curator at Jeju World Natural Heritage Center; Gil Ji-hye, Senior Researcher at Seoul National University Environmental Planning Institute; Kim Nam-woong, Specialist at the UNESCO World Heritage International Interpretation and Education Center; and Jeon Beom-hwan, Head of International Cooperation at the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation.

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