[News Terms] Korea Becomes Fourth-Time Member of the World Heritage Committee

The 'World Heritage Committee' is an intergovernmental committee responsible for implementing the World Heritage Convention, managing the use of the World Heritage Fund, and discussing matters related to World Heritage, including requests for funding support from member states.

It holds the authority to give final approval for the inscription of sites on the World Heritage List, postpone inscriptions, and request additional information from member states. The committee also reviews reports on the state of heritage management and has the power to take appropriate measures if countries fail to properly manage their World Heritage sites. Designation and delisting of World Heritage sites in danger are also within the committee's responsibilities.

The 'Gaya Tumuli (Changnyeong Gyodong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli)', registered as a World Heritage Site.
[Photo by Cultural Heritage Administration]

The committee holds one regular plenary session annually. After the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) investigate candidate World Heritage sites and recommend whether they should be inscribed, the committee makes the final decision through its meeting. The meeting includes 21 committee members elected by vote from the General Assembly of the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention, representatives from advisory bodies such as IUCN, ICOMOS, the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), and non-governmental organizations. The UNESCO World Heritage Centre serves as the secretariat.

When multiple countries apply for the inscription of cultural and natural heritage sites of significant value, ICOMOS and IUCN first investigate the candidate sites and then recommend their inscription status to the committee. The meeting decides whether to inscribe or defer inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List and determines restoration measures for cultural or natural heritage damaged by natural disasters or war. However, the recommendations of ICOMOS and IUCN are not always fully reflected in the plenary sessions.

The committee members are elected every two years at the World Heritage Convention General Assembly, considering a balance among five regions: Asia-Oceania, Arab States, Africa, Europe-North America, and the Caribbean-Central and South America.

Sado Mine, which Japan is promoting for World Heritage registration. Korea opposes the World Heritage registration of Japan's Sado Mine, a site of forced labor of Koreans during the Japanese colonial period.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Although the term of committee members under the convention is six years, the number of committee members is limited to 21 countries compared to the 195 States Parties to the convention, leading to fierce competition for committee seats and difficulties in reflecting the views of non-member countries. In response, the 13th General Assembly in 2001 voluntarily resolved that committee members reduce their terms from six to four years, prohibit re-election, and prioritize some seats for countries without any World Heritage sites. Although this resolution is not legally binding, it has been well observed as candidate countries adopt the four-year term limit as a kind of election pledge during committee elections.

On the 22nd (local time), South Korea was elected as a member of the World Heritage Committee, which reviews and decides on UNESCO World Heritage inscriptions. UNESCO elected new members of the World Heritage Committee at the General Assembly of the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention held that day. South Korea filled one vacancy within the Asia regional group.

Accordingly, South Korea will serve as a committee member from this year until 2027. This is the fourth time South Korea has joined the World Heritage Committee. South Korea previously served as a committee member during 1997?2003 (6 years), 2005?2009 (4 years), and 2013?2017 (4 years).

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