Hong Taeyong, Mayor of Gimhae, "World Heritage Listing Will Contribute to Revitalizing the Local Economy"

"The inscription of the Gaya Tumuli as a World Heritage Site is an achievement realized through more than 10 years of efforts by our city and related local governments."

Hong Taeyong, mayor of Gimhae City, Gyeongnam Province, said this while welcoming the UNESCO World Heritage inscription of the Gimhae Daeseongdong Tumuli.

The Gaya Tumuli were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site at the 45th World Heritage Committee held on the 17th in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

The tumuli groups confirmed for World Heritage inscription include seven sites: Daeseongdong Tumuli in Gimhae, Gyeongnam; Malsan Tumuli in Haman; Gyodong and Songhakdong Tumuli in Changnyeong; Okjeon Tumuli in Hapcheon, all in Gyeongnam; Jisandong Tumuli in Goryeong, Gyeongbuk; and Yugok-ri and Durak-ri Tumuli in Namwon, Jeonbuk.

Hong Tae-yong, Mayor of Gimhae, Gyeongnam (center), is celebrating the inscription of Daeseong-dong Tumuli as a World Heritage site.
[Photo by Gimhae City Hall]

According to the city on the 18th, the Gaya Tumuli are a serial heritage site that combines seven tumuli groups existing in the Yeongnam and Honam regions from the 1st to mid-6th centuries.

They are regarded as unique evidence demonstrating the civilization of Gaya, which maintained a distinctive political system as a confederacy while coexisting with surrounding centralized ancient states.

The Daeseongdong Tumuli are representative tumuli of Geumgwan Gaya, which formed the Gaya Confederacy from the 1st to 5th centuries, and are evaluated as showing early types among the various attributes shared by Gaya political tumuli.

Trade artifacts such as bronze mirrors, dragon-patterned belts, bronze cauldrons, and other bronze products reveal that Geumgwan Gaya played an active role in the East Asian international trade system connecting China, Gaya, and the Japanese archipelago.

Mayor Hong said, "The inscription of the Daeseongdong Tumuli as a World Heritage Site is expected not only to enhance the value of the heritage but also to significantly raise the status of related local governments and greatly contribute to revitalizing the regional economy."

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